Mothers - Part 1 - Nurses that nurtured
As we approach Mothers Day I've been in a reflective mood about mothers in general. So much so that I have decided to prepare this blog over two weeks; the first part as an ode to “mothers” who may or may not have given birth but displayed the nurturing values we associate with the best of mothers. The second part will be devoted to a mother whose behaviour towards her “children” still sends shock waves through us today. For today's blog I wish to pay homage to two women who gave their lives to tend many. ELLEN DAVIS BLACKER Little is known of Ellen’s early life, but she was born sometime around 1878 and was known as Ellen Davis Willets. Ellen arrived in Lake Cargelligo in the Central West of NSW before the outbreak of WW1 and was a Bush Nurse. At the time it was an isolated regional town and was one of the first three centres in NSW to be served by a Bush Nurse. Nurse Willets settled in well and by 1914 she had married John Blacker of a local pioneering family. Bus...