Latest news with #midwife
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Former nurse, 100, 'inundated' with birthday cards
A former midwife has received hundreds of cards from around the world in celebration of her 100th birthday. Bertha Preston spent time working in New Zealand, Australia and Kenya, before settling down in a nursing career at Royal United Hospital (RUH) in Bath, Somerset. With no surviving family or close friends nearby, staff at the Bloomfield Care Centre in Paulton issued a "heartfelt request" to the public to send in their warm wishes. Key worker Jane Rogers described Ms Preston as a "very strong lady", who "chose her career over marriage" and showed an unwavering dedication to her profession. Ms Preston said "her spirit remains strong and her presence continues to inspire those around her". "She's been a huge part of my life," said Ms Rogers, who has cared for Ms Preston since 2009. "All of the residents here are very special to everyone who works here, but she's a darling lady. "Because of her vulnerability and the fact she has no known family, we've all become her family, and that's how we like it." Ms Preston's "quiet strength and compassion" was born out of becoming an orphan at the age of eight, after losing her mother to tuberculosis. Her nursing journey took her around the world, most notably to Africa, where she treated patients for trachoma and helped deliver hundreds of babies. One woman wrote to Ms Preston from Kenya to ask if she had worked at the hospital during her birth in the early 1960s. "I was delighted to read of your enthusiasm for the country, and of your hard work and devotion over many years as a nurse," Sarah wrote. "You are clearly a credit to your profession." Activities assistant Christina Coles said the home had been "inundated" with letters since posting the appeal online, including a card from King Charles III and Queen Camilla. "The amount that's come through the post has been amazing," she said. "We've had such a good response, it's really been overwhelming. "It's lovely that people have made so much effort in the community to come forward for a lady who has worked so hard. "100 years is an amazing achievement for anyone. Bertha has got an incredible story and it's nice to share that with people," she added. Follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and X. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. D-Day veteran's 'unforgettable' 100th birthday World War Two decoder celebrates 100th birthday Vera celebrates 100th birthday with 450 cards Bloomfield Care Centre
News.com.au
4 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Inside tradie couple's stunning Palm Springs-inspired home flip
Hayden and Madison Cameron dreamed of a sea change after flipping their first home interstate, but were shocked by Queensland's soaring property prices. The couple had a budget of $1m, but found homes were about $300,000 more than they would expect to pay for a similar property in their home state of Victoria. They secured a dilapidated deceased estate in an up-and-coming Gold Coast pocket and transformed it into a contemporary beach house that is now on the market. A generational analysis by PropTrack shows it is now five times harder for young homebuyers in Queensland to get on the property ladder than it was for previous generations. The study compared house prices in every suburb through the decades, with values adjusted for inflation to reveal the real cost of owning a home in today's dollars. In Currumbin Waters where the Camerons bought, a typical house cost $28,200 in 1980, or $150,400 adjusted to reflect rising living costs since that time. But the median house price in the suburb now sits at $1.37m. The data shows it is nine times harder for young buyers today to own a house in the popular beachside suburb than it was 45 years ago, reflecting an enduring demand for coastal property which surged during the pandemic. Mr Cameron is a builder, while Ms Cameron, a midwife, has an eye for design. The couple, who are expecting their first child, engaged buyers agent Alex Pope to purchase a lowset house off market for $1.005m in June 2023. 'The market was starting to heat up from we first started looking to when we bought, but I feel like we got a good deal through going with Alex,' Ms Cameron said. 'Luckily, we had bought our last house in Dromana on the Mornington Peninsula just before Covid and sold in the height of the market,' she said. Despite making good profit on their first project, they faced the reality of Queensland's booming market, with Brisbane home values overtaking Melbourne's last year for the first time in 14 years. 'They had a tricky budget as they only had $1m to spend and were conditioned to what that amount could buy where they had lived, which made it a little challenging purchasing a full-size home in a great location that might also have renovation uplift,' Mr Pope said. 'Buyers who are happy to get a property that is a little more original and then renovate, they are the ones who are really setting themselves up for success to start creating equity in that property very quickly. 'My advice to young buyers is that your first property isn't your last, but it does catapult you to the next.' The Camerons undertook a full renovation, creating a luxurious five-bedroom, two-bathroom home with Palm Springs flair, complete with a coastal-inspired neutral palette of high-end finishes and features including a stunning al fresco zone with a pool and barbecue kitchen. 'The house was a 1980s-style build with a kidney-shaped pool which was green and swampy when we bought it, but we could see the potential,' Ms Cameron said. 'This is the second home we've renovated and after selling in Melbourne we knew we wanted to be on the Gold Coast because we loved the lifestyle and the weather, and Hayden loves surfing.' Their home at 87 Bienvenue Dr is being sold via an expressions of interest campaign with Base Property Group agents Paul and Max Kearney.
RNZ News
28-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Woman assaulted on way to work in Christchurch
Photo: Police are investigating an assault on a woman who was on her way to work in Christchurch. Senior Sergeant Paul Robertson said the attack happened on Hagley Avenue at 8.20pm on Monday. Two people on an electric scooter hit the woman in the back. The NZ Herald and Stuff are reporting the woman is a nurse at Christchurch Hospital. It comes a fortnight after a student midwife was attacked on the way to her car after leaving work at Christchurch Hospital's birthing unit at night. Health NZ is due to comment shortly on the incident. More to come... Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Times
23-05-2025
- General
- Times
My midwife looked up and said, ‘Your vagina's fallen out'
She was a midwife called Chris. She had just delivered my second child and was in the middle of sewing me back up. Mercifully, I was still numb from the waist down after the epidural. My husband, Andrzej, was sitting beside me holding our new baby in his arms, the two of them lost in a world of their own, as another midwife, whose name I hadn't caught, toiled over a standing desk in the corner of the room, typing up my notes. So it was really just Chris and me, huddled together over a mound of paper towels covering my knees, my two limp legs propped up in metal stirrups. I had to be sewn up because my daughter's head had torn my perineum
RNZ News
21-05-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Hospital security increased after student midwife attacked leaving work
Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Health chiefs have increased security at Christchurch Hospital's birthing unit after a student midwife was attacked on the way to their car after leaving work. The staff member was targeted after their shift at the Antigua Street unit in the central city, although the assault did not happen on hospital grounds. College of Midwives chief executive Alison Eddy said Health New Zealand was doing all it could to ensure the safety of staff. "I understand that the facility does have security staff available to escort staff back to their cars, there's absolutely that provision in place," she said. "I think sometimes people might have to wait a little bit to get access to that and people might feel they don't want to do that. But I understand the facility does everything it can to support the safety of its staff and does make that service available already, and in response to this attack . . . they've stepped up even more support and security to prevent any potential risks." The attack highlighted the risks women faced in Aotearoa, Eddy said. "It's a reflection sadly that we know females are at risk of violence and dark places around hospitals are risky places. That's just the reality of being a female, sadly, in this country. This facility is really aware of that and has done and is continuing to do everything it can to support the safety of everybody who works in those facilities," she said. An email was circulated to staff outlining what had happened, although Health New Zealand would not share details with RNZ because it was not "public information". Waitaha Canterbury director of operations Hamish Brown said the staffer involved was being "well supported". "As a precaution we have increased security measures in this part of the campus to ensure staff, and others who work here, get to their vehicles safely at night," he said. "We continue to remind staff, and others, to take appropriate safety precautions when they leave the hospital campus at night. "At Health NZ, the safety and well-being of our staff, and other workers, is a critical part of delivering quality health care to New Zealanders. We take violence and aggression seriously and our people should expect to come to work and be safe. We encourage them to report all incidents of abuse and assault." Police said the attack did not appear to have been reported to them. "We encourage anyone who is the victim of an assault to make a report online or by calling 105 so police can make enquiries," a spokesperson said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
