GEORGE NEWS - When former George Hospital night manager Tilly (Magriet) Williams in 1978 enrolled as an 18-year-old student nurse at Tygerberg Hospital, she was not expecting the 'emotional rollercoaster' she was embarking upon during a career that would eventually span 44 years.
She is now sharing this journey as a professional nurse in a book, An emotional rollercoaster: memoirs of 44 years of nursing. It is a story of tribulation and challenges, but also of many moments of joy.
Talking to George Herald, Williams remembered the impact of witnessing other people's trauma and death, day in and day out, without having counselling available.
Her years as student and young working nurse were spent in an environment governed by apartheid rules, adding to the impact on her psyche.
She says she was in some way fortunate to have grown up in a strict Catholic children's home in Rosemoor (where Bethesda is today) where the children were prepared for an independent adulthood in which there would be no support from a family. This laid the foundation for the resilience that carried her through.
She did her nursing training at Tygerberg in Cape Town, where she worked for 12 years before being promoted to head of the trauma unit at Malmesbury Hospital. She also had a stint at Netcare Goodwood and worked in the Middle East.
Her career eventually brought her back to George and for the last 10 years up until her recent retirement, Williams was the night manager at George Hospital, working closely with the former CEO, Michael Vonk.
She says she wrote the book in the hope that it would be an encouragement to others. "When we are young, we do not always realise the seriousness of choosing a certain career.
"In my young days, we did not have a wide choice of careers due to apartheid, but it is different now. I want to inspire and spur on especially youngsters who are starting out.
"Perhaps my experience will teach them how to be emotionally grounded and stand up for themselves, and to keep on keeping on."
The book was published by Lulu Publishers and is available from Williams directly. Interested persons may contact her on 076 781 9116.
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