Have you ever found hidden treasure? We have -- and it happened like this.
In early May, our archivist and I attended the annual alumni reunion of the registered nurses who graduated from the Sisters of St. Joseph School of Nursing in Chatham, Ontario which operated from 1901-1970. A feature of the luncheon was a large display of photos and artifacts from the years during which the school operated. This display attracted many of the 200 alumni who crowded around the photos to reminisce in joy and memories recalled. There were pictures of prim 1901 graduates looking serious in stiff white uniforms, proud grads of the 1940s in ankle length skirts, to rose-carrying young women of the 1970s.
These treasures were discovered several years ago following the amalgamation of St. Joseph’s Hospital with the Public General Hospital. During the move, an astute nurse at work spied the treasures in a pile – no doubt headed to the garbage. Sadly, no one thought of the value of these precious photos and the historic meaning they held for the Sisters, the hospital and for Canadian education and culture.
The swift actions of the nurse rescued the memorabilia and she stored it in her garage for several years. Our archivist’s presentation from the previous alumni gathering prompted her to unpack the treasures and share them this year with those who had lived and worked in those hallowed halls of healing.
At the end of the celebration, the findings were packed carefully and repatriated to the Sisters of St. Joseph where they are being accessioned meticulously into our archives. At last our treasures are safely home thanks to the quick thinking of an amazing woman who followed the prompting of her heart.
Jean Moylan, CSJ
Photo: Class of 1918 – St. Joseph’s School of Nursing, Chatham, Ontario
Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada Archives