Jessie Lee Middleton passed away peacefully on May 22, 2019, at the age of 102. The youngest of 12 children, she was born and raised on the family farm in Murrayville BC. She entered the nursing program at the Royal Columbian Hospital and graduated in September of 1939 just one day after Canada declared war on Germany. Eager to serve her country, Jessie joined the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps in 1942 and nursed injured soldiers both in Canada and England. She considered this work as “the greatest privilege for me.”
A recent book by author Elise Baker highlights Jessie’s life and wartime experiences and her picture wearing a Bluebird uniform is featured on the book cover. In Nightingales, Bluebirds, and Angels of Mercy (October 2022) the author tells true stories of the courage and heroism of nurses from the United States. United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand who served on the front line in WWll.
These stories of nurse’s courage, bravery and heroism are truly inspiring and will not be forgotten.
November 8, 2022 at 9:30 am PT
at the Cecil Green Park House ($10 admission – lunch will be served) and online via Zoom (free)*
with Dr. Esyllt Jones, University of Manitoba
Pandemic Caring: public health nursing and community in the history of infectious disease
Dr. Esyllt W. Jones is a professor of history at the University of Manitoba. Her research interests include history of health, public health and pandemic history. She is the author of Influenza 1918: Disease, Death and Struggle in Winnipeg, and co-editor of the recently published Medicare’s Histories: Origins, Omissions and Opportunities in Canada (2022).
PROGRAM
9.30 Registration and refreshments
10.00 Opening Remarks – Geertje Boschma
Reflecting on the Legacy of Helen Shore
10.20 Keynote with Dr. Esyllt Jones | discussion
11.15 Break
11.45 Panel discussion with:
Dr. Susan Duncan, Professor, School of Nursing, University of Victoria
Dr. Sonya Grypma, Adjunct Professor, School of Nursing, University of British Columbia
Dr. Alison Phinney, Professor, School of Nursing, University of British Columbia
Dr. Mariko Sakamoto, Alzheimer Society of Canada Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Social Work, UBC
12.45 Closing remarks – Elizabeth Saewyc
12.55 Lunch
*A ZOOM LINK WILL BE SENT TO ALL PARTICIPANTS ONE DAY BEFORE THE EVENT
If you registered “in person” but find you are not able to attend at Cecil Green Park on November 8, you are welcome to attend online. The event will be recorded for those unable to attend at all.
ICN extends heartfelt condolences on the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II
Geneva, Switzerland; 09 September 2022 – The International Council of Nurses (ICN) sends
a sincere message of condolence to King Charles III and the Royal Family, and all those
affected by the sad loss of Queen Elizabeth II.
ICN has sent messages of support and solidarity to the Royal College of Nursing, the Queen’s
Nursing Institute in the UK, as well as the Commonwealth Nurses and Midwives Federation,
all of whom have been profoundly and personally touched by the death of the Queen.
On behalf of the global nursing community, ICN expresses its heartfelt best wishes to King
Charles III and the Royal Family who are mourning the loss of their matriarch. The world’s
nurses are also mourning her passing as well as giving thanks for a remarkable life of service
that has made the world a better place and was the embodiment of public service.
ICN President Pamela Cipriano said, “The world’s nursing family mourns her passing and
sends a message of solidarity to Charles III and the Royal Family at this profoundly difficult
time. The Queen’s care, courage, and compassion shone out strongly across the globe, and
her values reflected those of nurses. She was a stalwart global leader, an inspirational figure,
and deeply respected. We pay tribute to her life of dedication and service.”
ICN CEO Howard Catton said, “As a British nurse I know that she has been a constant part of
our lives for as long as many of us remember, having carried her people through some of the
most difficult of times and this will be felt as a personal loss. It’s important now to mourn, to
share and give thanks. She’s gone but her values live on – her ability to care, unite, lead and
to make us smile and that’s a legacy nurses will commit to continue.”
Her patronage and support for Nursing during her reign around the world was steadfast. Most
recently she spoke personally to the President of the Commonwealth Nurses and Midwives
Federation, Professor Kathleen McCourt, on International Nurses Day to again express her
appreciation and gratitude to nurses.
Professor McCourt said “On behalf of the Commonwealth Nurses and Midwives Federation
may I express sincere condolences to the Royal Family at this very sad time. The Queen will
be greatly missed by all, but her legacy will remain and her commitment to the nursing and
midwifery professions will never be forgotten.”
As the Head of State in 15 countries and a Global leader, the Queen promoted understanding,
collaboration and unity and showed a quiet strength that she deployed for the common good.
In her Queen’s Speech in 2020, Her Majesty personally thanked nurses and other healthcare
workers for their service and sacrifice during the pandemic.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
RCN President Dr. Denise Chaffer, expressing her condolences said, “Her Majesty was
admired and respected by nursing staff from across the world for the way she tirelessly
championed nurses and nursing issues.”
‘As patron of the Royal College of Nursing, she met with thousands of nursing staff and always
took enormous interest in our work. The royal family are in our thoughts at this very difficult
time.”
The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) expressed its sorrow and gratitude to the Queen for a life
of service and said the Institute and the Queen’s Nurses would always be inextricably linked
to the Queen as their Royal Patron.
Dr Crystal Oldman, QNI Chief Executive said, “We are deeply saddened by the death of
Queen Elizabeth II, our Patron. She was an outstanding supporter of the QNI and nursing,
both nationally in the UK and internationally in the many years of her reign.”
Messages from National Nurses Associations all around the world speak to a shared loss of a woman, mother and queen who exemplified nursing values and will be greatly missed.
The Mr. and Mrs. P.A. Woodward Foundation has generously supported the annual Marion Woodward lecture since 1969.
The lecture was the only one personally endorsed by Mrs. Woodward, and has become a seminal event for the School of Nursing, attracting nursing professionals from across BC to learn, share experiences, network, and contribute to the advancement of nursing care.
Date: 20 Oct 2022
Presented by: Elizabeth Schenk, PhD, RN, FAAN, Exec. Director of Environmental Stewardship, Providence Health; Assistant Professor, Washington State University College of Nursing
In March of 2022, the entire archival collection of the BC History of Nursing Society was transferred to the University of British Columbia Library Rare Books and Special Collections (RBSC). The Society fonds includes information on individual nurses, nursing groups, the UBC School of Nursing, biographical files, oral histories, photographs, reference material.
The Rare Books and Special Collections and University Archives reading room will be temporarily closed from August 1 to November 30, 2022, for upgrades.
During this down time you may contact Krisztina Laszlo, RBSC Archivist, and digital copies could be available if requested.
June 1 marks the start of National Indigenous History Month in Canada. Formally declared in 2009, the month encourages Canadians to take time to learn about the history, heritage, resiliency, and diversity of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.
We recognize and honour Tania Dick, a member of Dzawada’enuxw First Nations of Kingcome Inlet. She is a renowned Indigenous health care leader and joined the UBC School of Nursing as its first ever Indigenous Nursing Lead in the Fall of 2021. The role was created to help guide work on reconciliation and prepare future nurses to uphold Indigenous Peoples’ human rights and end racism in health care.
To learn more about Tania’s background and role as the Nursing Lead click here.
Tania informed us that there are some allocated Indigenous specific seats on the Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of BC (NNPBC) Boards and the British Columbia Nurses Union (BCNU) has established the “Indigenous Leadership Circle” an equity seeking caucus that formally meets regularly.
Becky Beck and Betty Smith have willed $100,000 to both CNC and Langara to create a new bursary.
Many people want to be a part of something that does good in the world and makes a real difference in people’s lives. When you “pay it forward” you are hoping to change someone else’s circumstances for the better. This is exemplified by two nurses who were lifelong friends and left a $100,000 legacy to both the College of New Caledonia (CNC) and Langara to help the next generation of nurses.
This endowment bursary will initially provide four $1000 awards each year to help average students receive financial support as they pursue their nursing education.
Read more about the donors of the Three Sister’s Endowment Bursary in our Spring 2022 newsletter on page 8 by clicking here.
On June 4, 2022, the BC Historical Federation announced the recipients for the 2021 Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for Historical Writing at the BCHF annual conference. The award recipients were chosen by a three-member panel of judges from 24 books published in 2021 and submitted for the competition.
The Community History Book Award, worth $500, went to Always Pack a Candle: A Nurse in the Cariboo-Chilcotin by nurse author Marion Crook and is the story of Marion’s nursing experience and adventures in the Cariboo-Chilcotin area of British Columbia in the 1960’s. Published by Heritage House in April 2021 the book has been on the BC Best Sellers List for many months.
To read a review written by BCHNS member Linda Quiney and published in our Spring 2022 newsletter on page 14 click here.
February 2023: Marion received a BC Arts Council Awardto further her research for the sequel to Always Pack a Candle. The money will allow her to visit the Williams Lake museum and view the archives of the weekly newspaper. Marion plans to finish the sequel in 2023 and published in 2024.
Jessie Lee Middleton passed away peacefully on May 22, 2019, at the age of 102. The youngest of 12 children, she was born and raised on the family farm in Murrayville BC. She entered the nursing program at the Royal Columbian Hospital and graduated in September of 1939 just one day after Canada declared war on Germany. Eager to serve her country, Jessie joined the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps in 1942 and nursed injured soldiers both in Canada and England. She considered this work as “the greatest privilege for me.”
