Waiau District Medical Doctors History - Dr Rita Gillies, practising in Tūātapere 1924-1927:

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Central & Western Murihiku Southland Archive

Waiau District Medical Doctors History - Dr Rita Gillies, in Tūātapere 1924-1927: Dr Rita Gillies arrived in Tūātapere from Southland Hospital, in early 1924, as their first resident doctor. She was to remain the doctor here for 4 years. After she left in 1927, not long before she married a local, Dr Fawcit Miller Dodds moved here replace her and he bought out her medical practice. Photo 1: Dr Rita Gillies at her farewell, with her older sister Miss May Gillies. Public Domain Photo, accessed from PapersPast. Photo 2: A group of women from Plunket or the Maternity Home, Dr Rita Gillies is part of the group, she is circled in blue in the photo. Photo donated by Margaret Thomas. Photo 3: The old Plunket building. Dr Gillies was a huge part of the local Plunket movement. We now operate the CWA Community Heritage Hub out of these old Tūātapere Plunket Premises, this photo is CC BY to us at CWA Photo 4: The old maternity home at 16 Birch St Tūātapere, that Dr Gillies was instrumental at setting up. Now a private residence. CWA Photo, CC BY Photo 3: Headstone reading: "In Loving Memory of Rita Ethel, beloved wife of Panton Gardner, who died 26th Feb 1936." (NOTE: all other records have the date of 23rd or 24th Feb for her death, her burial record says she was interred on 25th February 1936). This photo is from the ICC Cemetery site and sadly, no licencing information for images can be found on their site. Edith Miller’s Centennial poem for the Tūātapere 100 years event, tells the story of our most famous doctors thus: …It was Dr Gillies, Dr Dodds, then Dr Elder held the fort He tended us for 50 years, he called at every port Danie and then Clem were next, we bid them fond farewell Now they seem to come and go, but Sue, you beat the bell We’ve had many nurses and many midwives too But none that was more versatile than Bev Pratt was with you The Trust has been tremendous, we give thanks for their care Jack Munro was good Samaritan, no better anywhere… DR GILLIES ARRIVES IN TŪĀTAPERE: After arriving at Tūātapere, Dr Rita Gillies, her sister May who was to reside and work with her, and her mother Maria were given a huge welcome at the towns Fitzgerald Hall. They were escorted to the platform while the Pipe Band played, and Mr (George snr.) Charlton, spoke on the necessity of the townships gaining their first resident doctor. He said, (quote): "Tuatapere was a very small place 15 years ago and a doctor could not then be thought of. However, with the growth of the district something was required in the way of help in times of illness and by united effort a district nurse was secured and since then til now the district had been faithfully served by one good nurse after another. By degrees the district showed that something more than a nurse was needed and that was a doctor, but the trouble was to find a doctor willing to come amongst them." During these years, he said continuing, "he had known of over a dozen men doctors, some great strapping fellows who had come to prospect the district but somehow or another all went never to return until Dr Gillies came along and nothing daunted by the width or apparent roughness of the country round about said she was coming to start practice in Tuatapere and had done so... All that she asked was that suitable accommodation be found for her". It was further noted that Mr & Mrs Curow had provided this accommodation to Dr Rita Gillies. It was also worthy of mention, that even back then, the Māori of the district, had a special welcome for her, and this was performed by Mr Oliver Acker. HISTORY OF DR GILLIES: Born to parents Alexander Gillies & Ellen Maria (née Bilson) in 1902, her father was an oil and colour merchant. Rita Gillies was one of six children. Being from Dunedin, she trained at University of Otago. Her younger sister Denny also trained to be a doctor (radiologist). After reports in March 1921 that Dr Rita Gillies had graduated at the recent final exams for her medical degree, Dr Gillies was finally registered as a Medical Doctor on 22 October 1921. She was then to proceed to Invercargill to undertake the position of Junior Medical Officer at the Southland Hospital, where she had remained for 3 years, rising to the ranks of Junior House Surgeon. It was at this point, that Dr Gillies left for the tiny township of Tūātapere, to take up a private medical practice, after that village had failed to attract any male doctors. DR GILLIES SERVICES TO THE COMMUNITY: During her time at Tūātapere, Dr Gillies was most renowned for having the old nurses home at 16 Bridge Street, altered and turned into a maternity home, a modern one at that time, during her tenure. This facility was used for some years. When Dr Elder came, he got a new one rebuilt where the Waiau Health Trust operates from now, which is our old Maternity Hospital. At the time of Dr Gillies departure from Tūātapere in February of 1928, it was noted that the women of the district would miss her the most, and it was because of her dedication to them, that the Home Committee had made such an effort to provide the district with a suitable Maternity Home. This, they believed, would stand as a lasting testament and memorial to their pioneering medical doctor, who had also worked so hard to see this modern and up-to-date facility be opened in Tūātapere, not so long ago. In fact, the recently completed home was the place where Dr Gillies service to the local community was marked, in an afternoon tea held in her honour, also to mark the completion of the this facility, which she had striven for. It was noted further by the secretary of the Home Committee, the gratitude they had, along with the appreciation of the districts women, for Dr Gillies hard work, advice and more, undertaken to ensure they had this new home for maternity cases in the district. Also mentioned was her sister, Miss May Gillies giving up her own good position to come to Tūātapere with her sister to ensure she could give the best care to the town and district with her new medical practice, and the years of effort on both of their parts was noted. Dr Gillies was also very fond of Golf and Tennis and had played these often during her tenure at Tūātapere. When she left her practice to pursue more medical training, she continued to play for a time, but left a legacy in her name behind for the town she served for a time, the Gillies Cup for Tennis. In 1927 Dr Gillies had decided to move on from her Country GP position, citing the need to further her ambitions and "keep abreast" of the times and undertake more study, showing a keen interest in the study of childhood diseases, which she undertook in for a time. She was looking forward to once again being able to engage in conversation with other medical people and learn more of the latest and best methods of undertaking her work. In saying this, she was quick to reiterate that she had thoroughly enjoyed her time at Tūātapere and found both pleasure and satisfaction in her tasks. Everyone had been most kind, the patients and the townspeople and she would keep an interest in the Nursery Home and keep a place in her heart for the town and those within it who had held her in such high esteem. However, just a couple of years after making the decision to leave the town of Tūātapere and her medical practice, Dr Gillies was to marry a local man, Panton Gardner, whose parents had owned "The Cliffs" Estate at Clifden. It is of note that the couple were married at the First Presbyterian Church and there was a huge guest list, with visitors coming from all over, to attend. It was a jolly affair from the description in the news, and enjoyed by all. This took place on 11 July 1929. Then not even 8 years later in 1936, Dr Gillies (now Gardner) was tragically taken from him due to complications from a transmitted disease. It was on 23 or 24 of February that Rita Gardner was to pass away, in 1936. She was buried at the Invercargill Eastern Cemetery. Name: RITA ETHEL, GARDNER Age at Death: 39 Years Date of Burial: Tuesday, 25 February 1936 Occupation: (Tuatapere’s First Resident Doctor) ________________________________________ Cemetery: Eastern Cemetery, Undertaker: Macdonald & Weston Classification - Block/Plot: General - 24 / 0A THE LOSS OF DR GILLIES CUT DEEP Dr Rita Gillies/Gardner's death was to spread "a deep gloom" across the Waiau. She and her dog 'Bobs' had been become a common sight at the town she practised medicine at for 4 years in the mid 1920's, she was beloved by all who knew her, a bright, ambitious, kind and dedicated doctor. She was to sadly die of complications from scarlet fever and diphtheria. The tragedy of Dr Gillies early death shows the reason why vaccinations were so gratefully received in the early days, when families members and especially children, were often dying of awful diseases and complications. During the years up to 1930, in the worst years hundreds of people died of Diphtheria, the problem continued into the 1940's, among other diseases, which have thankfully been mostly eradicated by immunisation programs. At a Presentation for the Wellington Medical Historical Society on 4 March 2022 a story is recounted from the late Dr Denny Gillies, of her late sister, Dr Rita Gillies, who died at an early age of cardiac complications and kidney failure, from scarlet fever and diphtheria - the latter caught when she was doing an emergency tracheostomy on a patient while in general practice in Tūātapere. It was of no help to this bright young woman, whose life was sadly cut short by this serious disease, that by 1926, the new Diphtheria vaccination was being introduced into Aotearoa NZ. This tragic end to her young life was one of the dangers early medical professionals faced every day, diseases that could kill them, and she bravely fought until the end. Her sister Dr Denny Gillies, set up the Rita Gillies Gardner Memorial Fund for the student who gained the highest aggregate marks in their Final Professional exams - they got a suitably inscribed book. Of note, there is still a Rita Gardner traveling Scholarship available for 6th year medical students. Dr Denny, her surviving doctor sister, who told this awful story, died in 1989, and she herself was a Radiologist who had trained in the UK. While there, she had also been working under the world's leading expert in X-Ray, the eminent London radiologist Dr Graham Hodgson. Both of these young women doctors were extremely intelligent, highly trained and very experienced, and who knows where Dr Rita Gillies herself may have ended up but for the tragedy of her dying due to a dastardly disease now nearly eradicated, thanks to the evolution of vaccines to treat deadly illnesses. Dr Gillies was also one of the leading forces locally, being instrumental in getting a Plunket Branch at Tūātapere in the early days of the society (1925 they started here), then Dr Dodds took over this role when he came to the township and he remained extremely connected and supportive of the cause, attending meetings, giving addresses and being involved in the work of the society. Mrs Dodd’s also attended events and was interested. Dr and Mrs Dodd’s were at the heart of the opening of the Plunket Rooms (now our own Community Archive building & heritage hub base), in 1934 when it was built, after nearly 10 years of fundraising for the purpose. This history was researched and written by Social Historian and Author, Suzie Best of Central & Western Archive - Murihiku Southland and is shareable under a CC BY Licence, with Attribution. Hopefully this entry will be added to as more information comes to hand. If you or anyone you know has any more information or photos to share or accounts of Dr Rita Gillies and her sister May during the years of their lives or medical work here, please do share in the comments section. You can do this by making a comment in the space provided under the image page. Note: these entries are compiled with information provided by donors with the records, from locally reported news, from national and occasionally international reports in publications, from personal records made by the people themselves - such as their electoral enrollments, wills, war records etc., also from government and council held records such as births, deaths and marriages or cemetery information, and lastly, from community memories, such as those passed on by friends, family and contemporaries. It is not always possible to verify memories from others, so please let us know if you believe we have any incorrect information. If you believe that any public or personal record information quoted is wrong, if you can provide proof of any alternative fact to us in a document showing evidence of the correct details, that would be very helpful to us. Thank you.