Pendlebury Nurses League
In 1941 Miss Stevens was appointed Matron of RMCH after Miss Walker retired. Miss Stevens was considered young for the role at the age of 34. She had not been in post long when she called a nurses meeting and suggested the formation of the Nurses League. All student nurses lived in so they were quite enthusiastic about the idea.
Letters were sent to past students and a meeting was arranged. The first meetings took place in the linen room which was also being used as a hospital board room. Reunions are remembered as happy occasions, normally held, as now, on a Saturday afternoon. They had the meeting and then a speaker followed by afternoon tea in the dining room. This was followed by a visit to the wards. This format continued until the closure of the hospital and even until today without the ward visits.
Married ex nurses were allowed to bring babies and toddlers but it was found that this disturbed the meetings and so was stopped.
For many years the meetings were held in Colwyn Home sitting room and the afternoon tea replaced by a buffet meal.
By 1975 there were 126 members. Meetings were moved to the lecture rooms in the teaching block off the main corridor and then later to the lecture theatre in the Giving for Living centre beyond Ashby and Sullavan.
Membership up until this time had been restricted to nurses who had worked or trained at RMCH for three years and over. It was decided to open this up to anyone who had been there in a nursing capacity at any level and play instructors – indeed any members of ward teams. Also not to restrict membership to those having worked there for over three years. As membership increased they again outgrew the venue and meetings were moved to the Masonic Hall on Hospital Rd. This was not too far for ward visits to continue and also had an association with the nurses as it was the venue for many prize giving events.
We have continued to meet at the Masonic Hall and everyone continues to enjoy the day.
NEXT YEARS MEETING 20/5/23
