MEDICINE

The first Public Health Nurse on Woody Island was Ethel Williams. She was born and grew up on Woody Island. She served forty years as a Public Health Nurse, providing medical services to people living in isolated settlements around Placentia Bay. She delivered babies, extracted teeth, treated wounds and prescribed medications. She had a clinic set up in the basement of her house. Her clinic looked like a Doctor's Office, Treatment Room, Drug Store and Clinic combined. In her role as a nurse she put in many long hours. When she arrived home one Christmas Eve at 2:00 a.m. in the morning having delivered two babies her husband met her with these words, "This is it you're not going any more this day, I don't care who comes for you, you're not going!" Before they finished breakfast that morning, Christmas Day, a knock came on the door. It was a man from Bar Haven, "My wife is dieing can you please come?" Her husband thought for a moment and then without hesitation he jumped up and said, "When duty calls or danger be never wanting there, pack your bags and go."