947 days ago

Plaque commemorating life of WWII nurse unearthed during demolition works

Caroline Williams Reporter from North Shore Times

Kia ora koutou. A plaque in honour of WWII nurse Eliza Daisy Cargo has been rediscovered during some earthworks at North Shore Hospital.

Eliza was the first matron at the North Shore Obstetric Hospital. The block she worked in was demolished last year to make way for a new hospital building due to open in 2023.

A plaque commemorating her life was put in the adjoining grounds around 60 years ago, but had been hidden by vegetation over the decades, the Waitematā DHB said in a statement.

North Shore Hospital has now relocated the plaque, and held a small unveiling ceremony on Friday, attended by two of Eliza's former colleagues and a family member.

Born in 1909, Eliza is believed to have spent the first few years of her life in Manurewa. She finished finished her nursing training at Auckland Hospital around 1937 and served with the New Zealand Army Service in Italy, Egypt and New Caledonia during WWII, and later with J Force in Japan.

After completing her military service, Eliza led the Devonport Obstetric Hospital for about seven years, and also worked at a hospital in Pukekohe.

Between 1958 and 1964, Eliza oversaw the training of many student nurses as matron at North Shore Obstetric Hospital.

One of those nurses was Brenda Vujcich, who said of Eliza: "She influenced us greatly in our early training and was a very efficient and gracious sister who we all admired".

Eliza married Harold James Thompson later in her life and lived in Howick until her death in 1976.

Waitematā DHB director of midwifery Emma Farmer said it seemed fitting to unveil the plaque in time for Anzac Day.

“Eliza played a prominent role in the history of North Shore Hospital. We are also very conscious of her years in the New Zealand Army Nursing Service where she and her colleagues frequently risked their lives to help others during WWII."

Photo credit: Alexander Turnbull Library

More messages from your neighbours
3 days ago

Poll: Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

An Auckland court has ruled a woman doesn’t have to contribute towards the cost of fixing a driveway she shares with 10 neighbours.

When thinking about fences, driveways or tree felling, for example, do you think all neighbours should have to pay if the improvements directly benefit them?

Image
Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?
  • 82.4% Yes
    82.4% Complete
  • 14.8% No
    14.8% Complete
  • 2.8% Other - I'll share below
    2.8% Complete
1574 votes
1 day ago

Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.

John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!

As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!

John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.

Share your question below now ⬇️

Image
20 hours ago

Today’s Riddle – Can You Outsmart Your Neighbours?

Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

First you eat me, then you get eaten. What am I?

Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.

Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.

Image