Waimarie Private Hospital Abel Smith Street

Sisters Alice and Clare Murphy opened their private maternity hospital in 1908. They had purchased a house in Abel Smith Street for this purpose and subsequently made alterations to it. Clare was trained and registered at the Brighton Hospital in 1908. No formal qualifications are recorded for Alice.

The first birth announced in the newspaper that took place at their hospital was the twin sons of Mr & Mrs Norman Beck of Kilbirnie, on 30th August 1908.

In September 1909 the Nurses Murphy held a party to celebrate the anniversary of the opening of their hospital. The guests were the children born there over the previous year with their mothers.

‘The number present was a striking testimony to the success that has attended the nurses during their first year’s work, and a fine healthy lot they were, ranging from a sturdy pair of twins aged one year, to a sweet little mite of ten days.’

The decorations for the party were a mix of arum lilies, peach blossom and masses of narcissi. Afternoon tea was served. The sisters were assisted in entertaining their guests by the two probationer nurses.

Over the years the sister advertised for staff to assist them including ‘a competent General Servant’, a Probationer, and ‘a thoroughly capable Lady-help’. In 1913 it was a nurse to undertake permanent Nighty Duty that was wanted.

Alice served overseas in WWI as a nursing sister while Clare stayed and ran the hospital. In 1919 Alice married John Shearer Fletcher, who was part of the Fletcher Construction business. Clare took sole charge of the hospital. She fell ill at the end of 1922 and died at her hospital on 9th December after a short illness.

A few weeks after Clare’s death, Sister C.A. Williams N.Z.R.N advertised that she had taken over the hospital. It remained in this use until 1957 when it was sold. It had various uses over the years before it fell into disrepair. Sadly it caught fire in 2020 and was demolished.

My grandmother was born at Nurse Murphy’s in 1916 which is what led me to researching their story.

Nurse Murphy’s

Waimarie Private Hospital Abel Smith Street

Louis Peter Christeson

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