The wrath of ward sisters and a ghostly figure in the mortuary seem to be popular topics for discussion among nurses at a reunion for the class of April 1965 at the Dunedin School of Nursing.
Dunedin Hospital Emergency Department staff nurse and class of 1965 member Jane Nimmo said nursing then was very different from today.
Nursing staff worked 48 hours a week with one day off, and there were rounds for everything, with strict times these were to be done.
"There were pan rounds, sputum rounds, teeth cleaning rounds, pressure area and turning rounds.
"The wheels on the beds were all lined up and the counterpanes had the Dunedin Public Hospital logo centred in the bed. When a doctor or nurse senior to ourselves entered the room or office, we stood to attention. We were continually opening doors for those more worthy than ourselves."
While the job had its highlights, being caught by the night sister, sneaking into the nurses' home after curfew, was not.
"When sneaking into Wakari Hospital after a night out, we ran through the tunnel between the hospital and the nurses' home to safety, hoping not to encounter the night sister.
"Fearful times, apart from some of the ward sisters, were taking the deceased to the morgue and hoping not to meet The Grey Lady, rumoured to be the ghost of a grieving woman whose baby had died."
More than 22 of the 49 nurses who trained at Dunedin, Parkside and Wakari Hospitals, are attending celebrations this weekend.
The 45-year reunion began last night with drinks in the Green Sitting Room at the former nurses' home (now Cumberland Hall), and will continue today with tours.
Mrs Nimmo said a reunion dinner would be held tonight at Mercure Hotel and brunch at Swell tomorrow.
