Troy Landreville

Times Reporter

Doris Riedweg holds many happy memories of her years working as a nurse at 91原创 Memorial Hospital.

The 91原创 retiree wants to share those memories, and many others, with the public through an archival project spearheaded by the 91原创 Memorial Hospital Heritage Committee in partnership with the 91原创 Heritage Society.

Mementos and artifacts are being collected to help tell the story about the hospital鈥檚 history. Among the artifacts offered by donation thus far include a 鈥渂aby box鈥� that was used to send newborns home, as well as an iron baby cradle. On the wish list are one or two mannequins to dress in nurses鈥� uniforms and display cases, large and small.

Members of the LMH Auxiliary are involved as well, by offering some of their artifacts.

鈥淭he committee believes it is important to preserve the history of past generations for the enjoyment and enlightenment of both those of the present and the future,鈥� 86-year-old Riedweg wrote in recently published letter to the Times.

She added, 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to remember the LMH Auxiliaries who, this year, celebrate 70 decades of giving and serving their hospital and community.鈥�

The objective is to set up an LMH archives in Michaud House 鈥� a heritage home in 91原创 City 鈥� and to have the displays open to the public on specified days.

For this to happen there must be two volunteers on duty whenever the doors are open, for safety reasons.

鈥淲ithout the help of the hospital community and the citizens of 91原创 this project cannot succeed,鈥� Riedweg noted in the letter.

Anyone with artifacts to donate or loan, or anyone interested in volunteering for two or three hours a week or less, contact Riedweg at 604-534-3384 or Kate Ludlam at the LMH Foundation at 604-514-6043.

鈥淥ur mission is to preserve the history of the hospital, and it important because people don鈥檛 know how it began, and they don鈥檛 know how the pioneers really worked so hard to bring this (hospital) about 鈥撯�� 91原创鈥檚 first hospital, the cottage hospital,鈥� Riedweg said.

Riedweg is well-versed in the hospital鈥檚 history; she was the editor of the book The Hospital on the Hill, A History of 91原创 Memorial Hospital 1948-98.

She noted getting healthcare 鈥撯�� emergency and otherwise 鈥� was very difficult to access prior to the hospital being built.

鈥淲e want to preserve the history so people will be remembered,鈥� Riedweg said. 鈥淎nd how it was such a hard-fought battle to get it (the hospital).鈥�

Long and rewarding career

Riedweg had three tours of duty at LMH.

She graduated from a three-year nursing program at Vancouver General Hospital in 1956, and went directly to LMH鈥檚 cottage hospital.

And while her first experience as a working nurse was at LMH, she didn鈥檛 spend her entire career there. At the same time, she wasn鈥檛 away for long.

鈥淚 left twice and came back three times,鈥� Riedweg said. 鈥淎ltogether I think I was there, say, 20 years. I couldn鈥檛 stay away for some reason.鈥�

She went to Lunenburg, N.S., to continue her nursing career, then returned to 91原创 before departing once again to take a post-graduate course in surgery at Vancouver General Hospital. After that, she went to Powell River, followed by a six-month leave that allowed her to travel around the world.

鈥淭hen I worked in Victoria for a while and then came back to 91原创 as the head nurse in the new operating room in the new (hospital) building,鈥� said Riedweg, who retired in 1979, to come home and work on the family farm.

Riedweg said the process of becoming a nurse is 鈥渟o different now鈥� than it was in the past.

鈥淯ntil the 1980s, to graduate as a registered nurse, one had to enter a training school in a big city hospital. I think there were only six in BC.,鈥� Riedweg said.

Back then it was a three year program as opposed to the two years that nurses do now in colleges or universities.

鈥淚n the training schools we got a great deal of hands-on experience. Today, the students are assigned to various smaller hospitals for their practicum,鈥� Riedweg said. 鈥淎nd by the way, in those earlier days all nurses wore uniforms.鈥�

She described the atmosphere working at LMH under former director of nursing Marion Ward as 鈥渨onderful.鈥�

鈥淎nd with the doctors, they just all made it a very good place to work,鈥� Riedweg said.