MIDWIFE ANYONE

NURSE GRACE WASHINGTON

Millicent Grace Louise Washington was the second daughter of Rev. John William and Arabelle Grace DeShield. She had three more siblings. Millicent received her early education at St. David’s Primary School and when she moved to St. George’s she went to the East End School after leaving East End she had private tutoring. In 1943 she began her studies to become a Midwife and General Nurse at the Cottage Hospital located in Happy Valley Pembroke. In 1947 she received her post graduate Diploma in Nursing from Lincoln Hospital in Bronx New York.

She returned to Bermuda in 1948 and registered as a Midwife in 1949. She did private nursing for various families in the Eastern Parishes. Mrs. Washington volunteered for the Red Cross Nursing Reserve and St. John’s Ambulance. She began working at the hospital in 1955 in the department of the Air Force, Kindley Base until the Base closed. She, then commenced employment as a Nurse at St. Brendan’s (Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute) from 1972 until her retirement in 1989.

In 1949 Millicent Grace married Eugene Sinclair Washington and of that union had two children. As a stanch member of the Bermuda Burses Association she travelled to Jamaica, St. Croix and Martinique to attend the Caribbean Nursing Organizations regional meetings and the international Council of Nurses Quadrennial Congress in Mexico City and Los Angeles.

Once retired she became an active volunteer of several organizations. The National Office of Seniors and Challenged, Agape House, Mid Atlantic Wellness Institute, Red Cross, Caring Place, Alcoholic Anonymous, The Dyslexic Association and assisted in Bereavement Counseling. Mrs. Washington is a member of the Richard Allen Church and was recognized for her contributions to the community by the Rotary International as a Paul Harris Fellow in 2001, Awarded the certificate of honour by the Queen Elizabeth 11 in 2007 and was also recognized in her profession by the Bermudian Heritage Association. Mrs. Washington enjoys reading, oral history and travelling.

She fulfilled her duties in her profession and her willingness to help did not go unnoticed and will never be forgotten.

Barbara H. L. Wade 1936-2006 They called her Lovie

Barbara Helen Lavinia Wade was the daughter of Gerald and Gladys Allen Davis. From a very early age Barbara dreamed of becoming a nurse. She attended Purvis School and in later years went to the Berkeley Institute and a short time at Mrs. Neverson’s School before going abroad to the United Kingdom to study, She entered the the Botley’s Park Hospital in Surrey for training and then went on to the Lambeth School of Nursing to qualify as a registered Nurse in 1958.

In that same year Barbara Helen (Lovie) Davis became the first Black State Registered Nurse (S.R.N.) to be employed full time, at King Edward Department of Health, Nurse Wade was a Public Health Nurse. in 1971 she took up the position of Supervisor at the Government Day Care on Happy Valley Road in Pembroke.

In 1985 Nurse Wade was honoured by her colleagues and named ‘Nurse of the Year’ In 1988 Nurse Wade opened the “Rainbow Corner Child Care Centre’ in Bailey’s Bay. She served as Reginal Director of the Caribbean Nurses Organization where she had been involved since early 1970’s she was a founding member of the Bermuda Association of the Education of young children, a founding member and former Executive member of the Bermuda Registered Nurses Association, A member of the Red Cross Society, and a former Executive member of the Bermuda Business and Professional Women’s Club.

Nurse Wade assisted in organizing the child care Centre at St. Paul A.M.E. church in Hamilton and served for eight years as chairperson and treasurer. She was involved with the Hands of Faith Deaf Ministry, where she worked along side her cousin Virginia Trott Wilson who also attended St. Paul and sang in the senior choir for several years. Lovie was a supporter of Breast Cancer support group ‘Just Between Us’ and the Smith Parish Council.

Barbara (Lovie) Wade was a long serving member of the St. Paul A.M.E. Senior Choir. she doing some twenty years of service Nurse Wade retired. Her hobbies was reading, music, swimming. She was treasured and appreciated throughout the Community and Country.

Jacqueline Elizabeth Lightbourne 1935-2020

‘CALL HER A TRAILBLAZER

Mrs. Jacqueline Elizabeth Lightbourne was born on 16th. October 1935. Completing her early education she went on to become one of Bermuda’s top health nurses in the Medical field. She started at the Department of Health in the early 1970’s and rose through the ranks. She became the first Coordinator of Nursing Services in Bermuda before she became Chief Nursing Office’ She held the record of being one of the first Black Nurses to work at the King Edward the V11 Memorial Hospital in Bermuda. Nurse Lightbourne established the Islands first Mother Craft Classes on Childbirth and helped to create the first Geriatric Aide Programme at Bermuda College as well as the College’s nursing refresher course.

She was a former School Nurse who helped to set up the Government’s child development programme. Nurse Lightbourne was also a founding member of the Bermuda Nurses Association and President from 1971-72. She was instrumental in establishing networks with Nurse Leaders in the Caribbean and was one of the prime movers behind a Caribbean Nurses Organization workshop with the Pan American Health Organizations and represented Bermuda on the Caribbean regional nursing body where she helped steer regulatory changes for nursing in the Caribbean. She hosted the Islands first Paho Disaster Management and mitigation workshop in 1981, which helped create the model for hurricane response. Nurse Lightbourne’s connection with Paho helped several Bermudian nurses get fellowship for public health training.

She served at the Bermuda Public Service Association the forerunner of the Bermuda’s Public service Union and was a member of the Board of Directors at age concern in 2000’s and served on the board during the era of Sir John Plowman and Lady Jacqueline Swan. She became involved in the organization’s educational work. Nurse Lightbourne was awarded the M.B.E. in 2010. She will never be forgotten for her stellar services to the Community.