Following in her mother’s footsteps
Beloved Sister Heather’s daughter also opens healthcare centre
Five years and longer in the making, this is how long it took Douglas and Julie Welsh to plan, develop and open the Hilldrop Healthcare Centre in Newcastle, KwaZuluNatal.
Covid put a big halt to all their hard work, but they persevered and today have a beautiful, top-class facility to show for it.
Behind all this was the dream of a young Julie Welsh who grew up a farmer’s daughter, but with a formidable mother – nursing sister Heather Jones, who inspired the young Julie to dream of one day continuing her mother’s legacy by owning her very own Step Down Hospital.
Heather Jones started working as a nurse at Grens Hospital in Queenstown (now Komani), moved to Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha) and qualified as a registered nurse. Nursing was not just a job to her but a calling. She worked at several hospitals, including Oranjemund, Nababeep and Namakwaland, building up her experience.
In 1963, at the age of 25, she married a farmer, Len Jones, from Port Alfred, and had three children. But she could not see herself just being a farmer’s wife, as she saw mothers in her community walk for up to 20km to seek treatment for their sick babies and children.
The nearest hospital was in Grahamstown (now Makhanda), 60km away.
In 1968, she began assessing cases in the district to which ambulances were being called.
She drove for miles through the countryside and soon realised the vital necessity for a clinic to serve the community.
By that time she had already emptied out a store room on the farm and equipped it as a clinic,
opening it on March 1 1969. She overcame a great deal of red tape to be able to open Cuylerville Clinic as part of the Bathurst and District Welfare Society.
The clinic was run at Sister Heather’s own expense and within nine months she had already seen 5,018 patients, including truckloads of farm
workers. The makeshift clinic quickly became inadequate.
Helped by the Grahamstown Round Table, Sister Heather (called the Farming Florence Nightingale) was able to enlarge the clinic to five beds and build a maternity room. The number of patients per year reached 13,384 in 1972.
Port Alfred Round Table built
a garage at the clinic to house the private ambulance belonging to Don Long, but Sister Heather found this much too nice for a vehicle and soon the garage formed part of the clinic (the ambulance thus found its new spot under a tree).
A good friend, pharmacist Des Spenceley, helped her tremendously with medicines.
Sister Heather suffered a heart attack in 1972, but not even that could put a halt to her clinic, and soon after she recovered she was back to seeing patients all hours of the day and night. She could also speak to them in their own language: she could speak isiXhosa fluently before she could speak English.
Growing up, little Julie was only four when she helped her mother deliver a baby. By the time Julie was in Grade 2, she was her mother’s right hand at the clinic and planning to follow in mom’s footsteps
In 1979, the Dias Divisional Council took over the clinic, and Sister Heather started her 16 years as “Mobile Sister”, driving the mobile clinics which served the Fish River, Shaw Park, Trappes Valley and Martindale Districts.
In 1995, after 26 years of service, Sister “Nofikile” which means “she has arrived”, retired.
Today, her legacy lives on through her daughter Julie’s childhood dream.
Sister Heather recently relocated from Port Alfred to stay at Hilldrop with Douglas and Julie and still continues to help where she can. Douglas worked hard with Sister Julie to establish Hilldrop Healthcare Centre.
CIVIC BODIES’ MERGER IMMINENT
A new civic organisation Makana Business and Residents’ Association set to see the light of day when the Makana Residents’ Association (MRA) and Makhanda Business Forum host a launch meeting at the Graham Hotel on Tuesday November 14.
The MRA committee issued a statement last week saying the move to strengthen its civic voice was ready.
“It will be a different organisation from the old MRA which was run by a committee. Directors will be appointed to oversee the new organisation and subgroups appointed to take on significant issues,” read the statement.
REMEMBERING
As has been the case in years past, this Sunday’s Remembrance Day parade on Church Square is expected to draw a couple of hundred participants and interested onlookers.
Proceedings in the area between the Cathedral and City Hall are scheduled to get underway at 10.30am, and organisation and arrangements are in the hands of the Makanakop Shellhole of the Memorable Order of Tin Hats (Moths).
The pipe band and drill groups of St Andrew’s College, as well as the Kingswood College concert band, are also expected to be present, while wreaths will be laid at the memorial by representatives of various local organisations and schools.
In what is regarded as a first for the parade, the young St Mary’s scout group will also be present on the square, having been trained in drill procedures by Basil and Steven Mills.
Of course, no Remembrance Day parade in Makhanda would be complete without the wailing sounds of the bagpipes of Chris Terry who will play The Lament during the laying of the wreaths, something he has undertaken at numerous parades over the years.
ONE OF THE GREAT LADIES
A memorial service will be held in the Cathedral at 2.30pm on November 16 for Grahamstown and Makhanda legend, local personality and leader in the real estate industry, Colleen Rippon, who died on October 21. As a user commented on social media, Colleen Rippon was one of Grahamstown’s “great ladies”.
END-OF-YEAR CONCERT
Access Music Project (AMP) presents its end-of-year concert at Amazwi Museum of SA Literature in Worcester Street from 2.30pm on Saturday November 11. Tickets are R50 at the door. The concert, to be directed by AMP founder and music director Gareth Walwyn, will showcase a wide range of musical styles performed by soloists, small ensembles and orchestra.
GETTING STUCK IN
Many individuals, households, businesses, organisations, service clubs and even schools have, over the years, become involved in what is proving to be a massive, if not never-ending, project to repair Makhanda’s badly potholed streets.
In a statement issued last week, Sarah Baartman District Municipality announced it was involved in arranging the repairing of potholes in various thoroughfares, including Milner Street in the Oatlands area. The work was in addition to Sarah Baartman assisting with the clearing of storm water drains.
But back to reality. Makhanda’s streets are in really bad shape currently. Two areas in particular are within a couple of hundred metres of each other as the crow flies the African/Cawood Street intersection, and the flyover and lower High Street circle. They need urgent attention, really! Oh, and let’s not forget the Fitzroy/Oatlands T-junction.
DANCING DUCKLINGS
Movements Dance School presents The Ugly Duckling in the Guy Butler Theatre in the Monument from 6pm on Saturday, November 11. For more info and tickets, contact 084-419-6450.
GOOD GOING IN THE BOTS
It was a beautiful morning in Makana botanical gardens (‘The Bots’) last Saturday with 58 runners, joggers and
walkers revelling in the ideal conditions under towering trees and undulating terrain.
Recording personal best times (PBs) on the day were Tristan Boy, Colleen Duffy, Marie Jooste, Cathy Meiklejohn, Connie Mokwena and Hamza Motara.
First three finishers were Cee-Jay Porthen (first for the umpteenth time), Samuel Hockly (second) and Siviwe Moyake (third), while the first three finishers in the ladies’ division were Judy Hockly (first), Sarudzai Mahwendepi (second) and Anna Bloom (third).
Parkruns are held at 8am each Saturday from the entrance to the botanical gardens in Lucas Avenue.
ROCKY MOUNT
Makhanda streets were named, in the main, after mayors, councillors, Settlers, Royalty, governors, military officers and members of parliament when the city was known as Grahamstown.
There were some exceptions, though, according to the listing of local streets compiled in the 1960s.
Mount Street in Sunnyside was, according to the list, named as such due to “possible sloping ground feature”.
In the same suburb, Rockridge Road was, according to the listing, called Rocky Ridge in early maps due to its situation on a rocky hillside.
THE BIG MARKET BECKONS
Dates for readers and residents to diarise are November 29/30 and December 1/2 when the NG Kerk holds its annual Christmas market in the PJ Olivier hall. There are stalls by the dozen, and they offer everything from gifts, sweet treats and wine to jewellery, toys and handmade wooden goods. The weekday trading hours are 10am to 7pm and on the Saturday from 9am to 3pm.
WALLACE’S, BUTLER’S AND OTHERS
There was a time, in the then Grahamstown, when there were no less than five pharmacies and chemists situated in the CBD, privately owned and not franchises or part of national groups.
There were two in Bathurst Street, two in High Street and one in Hill Street. Not one of these is still in existence.
RET Butler’s Pharmacy was at 11 Bathurst Street and LL Wallace & Co Pharmacy a few doors down the same street at 21/23.
Across the road from the Grand Hotel in those days was JE Miller Pharmacy at 31 High Street, while Harrison’s Pharmacy was at 91/93 High Street, and Lionel Sweet Chemist in the Sanlam Building in Hill Street.
FAST FOOD BACK THEN
Who, among the older readers, will ever forget the days of the more popular fast food outlets in the then Grahamstown?
Top of the list to many was undoubtedly Butterfly Snack Bar in lower Beaufort Street, run by the Haefele family.
Other popular fast food ‘joints’ back in the day were Nev’s Chicken Inn (Bathurst Street), Bambi Snack Bar (Hill Street), Captain Dorego’s Fish & Chips (Market Square Mall), Southern Fried Chicken (57 New Street), Mr Burger Takeaways (28 New Street), Café Mont Marte (31 High Street) and Houston Takeaways (43 Bathurst Street). Which of these do you remember?
Thank you to the Sunshine Coast contributor for the information.