On Thursday 18th October, Feast of St. Luke, our own Jennefer Higginbottom gave an appropriate talk for that day illustrated by photographs and titled “Call The Midwife”.
Indeed Jennefer herself could have been the writer of the series as her own experiences mirrored those of fellow nurse and author Jennifer Worth. We heard of the same kind of experiences, hardships, social and housing conditions, as well as the same caring, dedicated practice and supportive comradeship with nuns, doctors, and fellow nurses and midwives in Plaistow, as we view in the enlightening and heart warming series set in Poplar where Jennefer herself spent time as a nursing sister.
There was no direct reference to a ‘Sister Monica Joan’ but no doubt there was a similar character around, and it was the workers of her newly met Grandfather who repaired her bicycle punctures, not ‘Fred’. We also heard some of her funny/ frightening adventures including her spending the night at sea when taking a short cut across The Floating Bridge after the local youth had cut the ropes. She was rescued the next day by the team connected to her newly met aforementioned Grandfather.
This, however was a career that may never have happened if Jennefer had not had the courage to question why she had failed the first part of her midwifery training five times. This questioning opened the doors not only for Jennefer herself but for many other prospective midwives who like herself had undergone their initial General Nursing Training in Scotland. They were all failed by the London Midwifery Training Hospital, not due to their failure to grasp the necessary knowledge to pass, but simply because they had been taught to format answers to exam questions in a different way from those initially trained in England. Jennefer’s continued training was initiated immediately and this mistake was not allowed to happen again.
During her career Jennefer continued to make things happen by using her discretion when she felt it was in the interest of Mother and Baby. She was also bold enough to ask to go out two nights in a row when she first met her future husband Bob, as that was the only time they would have together before he went back to sea.
Jennefer’s career regrettably came to an abrupt end in her early 50’s when her current back problem was first diagnosed.
Rosemary thanked Jennefer, on behalf of the Tweenies, for sharing her very absorbing experiences, and also thanked Sue Hodgens for her usual, great hospitality.
