Plaque commemorating life of WWII nurse unearthed during demolition works
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
Poll: If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? 🛻🚨🚓
In the Post's article on speeding penalties, the question is asked whether speeding fines are truly about road safety, or are they just a way to boost revenue for the Crown?
What do you think? Should speeding motorists receive speeding fines or demerit points?
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37.3% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
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62.7% The threat of demerit points (Nobody wants to lose their license!)
Scam Alert: Bank cold calls
ASB is warning customers about reports of cold calls from scammers claiming to be from ASB. These scammers are trying to obtain personal information, including usernames, dates of birth, and verification codes sent to your mobile phone.
🛡️ The "Caller Check" Test
If you get a call from someone claiming to be from ASB and you’re unsure, just ask them for a Caller Check. You will then be able to verify the call through the app.
Remember, banks will:
❌ Never ask for your banking passwords, PINs, or verification codes
❌ Never need to know your full credit card number – especially the CVC
❌ Never ask you to download software or remotely access your device
❌ Never ask you to purchase gift cards or transfer funds.
If you have received a phone call and think your account has been compromised, call ASB on 0800 ASB FRAUD (0800 272 372), or visit your local branch.
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
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