Remembering Lithgow icons, Kay Ross and Dr Kim Fields
IT was a time for both regret and grateful reflection for many in recent days with the death of two of the most respected figures of a past era in the Lithgow health profession.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Kay Ross, the daughter of hoteliers, was for many years the Tutor Sister at the Lithgow Hospital - the 'hospital on the hill' - mentoring generations of young nurses at the beginning of their careers.
When on the job training at our hospitals gave way to university studies Sister Ross took on other roles including diabetes advisor at the 'new' facility at Bowenfels but was always available to provide advice when needed.
After retiring from nursing she remained active in community service and spent 16 years as a volunteer in the busy Local History Studies section at the library/learning centre.
In most recent years she applied herself to cataloguing many hundreds of old black and white news photos donated to the library by the Lithgow Mercury.
She passed away in the hospital that had been her life on Thursday at the age of 82.
ON the other side of the hill, in Sydney, Dr Kim Fields has also died at the age of 98.
Dr Fields spent much of his working life in Lithgow both in general practice and with an appointment as Government Medical Officer for the region.
It was a role that brought with it a hefty workload as he was responsible for carrying out often delicate post mortem examinations in instances where the cause of death needed to be established for the Coroner or to assist in police inquiries.
After moving to Sydney in semi retirement he continued as a part time lecturer at one of the major universities, a service that saw him awarded an honorarium in later years.
Both Kay Ross and Kim Fields leave behind a legion of health workers and patients who benefited from their expertise.
Dunny work has waited years
THERE has been a lot of conjecture about what is going on in a section of the Pioneer Park in Main Street's east end where demolition work is underway, including two old toilets. Simple really. Our Council is installing a modern toilet facility similar to those at Cook Plaza, Eskbank Street, Endeavour Park and Blast Furnace Park. Complete with the soothing musical welcome we presume. The Pioneer Park work has been sought by Councillors over many years.
Their starring role
IF you're on the wrong side of the law and seeking a swift getaway you need to carefully choose your location. On Thursday shoppers were startled to observe, and hear, a car run up the back of a taxi with quite a bit of force at the pedestrian crossing at Cook Plaza.
The offending driver reversed back, overtook the cab, and took off up Main Street at a rapid rate. It wasn't just shoppers who saw the action; the crossing is directly below CCTV cameras that transmit in real time to a facility at the police station. That should solve some arguments.
Why not a yott?
NOW for a little useless trivia. In an idle moment on a wet weekend we were pondering the fact that English is a confusing language to learn, in no small way due to the number of similes - words that sound identical but have a different spelling and totally different meaning.
That led us to wonder why yachts are not simply spelt 'yotts'. Guess the millionaires would buck, though, at being referred to as otties'. Sounds the same though and would save on a couple of keystrokes.
Warned you it was useless trivia.
Have a great week. X