Recent Publications
- A Suitable Job for Young Ladies - The Karitane Story 1907 to 2007
- The Ultimate Kiwi Pub Crawl - 30,000km, 1,000 pubs in 4 years
A Suitable Job for Young Ladies - The Karitane Story 1907 to 2007
Karitane nurses have a proud history of service to families and the community. Many worked in the nurseries of public and private hospitals, in neo-natal units with premature babies, and helped families while working in homes all over New Zealand, as well as being in demand overseas for their skills and ability to adapt to varied circumstances. Today they work in Family Centres and form part of a team with Plunket nurses working in the community.
In spite of their contribution to the health and welfare of families, little has been written about their day-to-day work and the challenges they faced while 'casing' in a variety of homes both here and overseas.
The reality of training and casing in homes was far from genteel or easy. A lot of responsibility was put on young shoulders, and much was expected of Karitane nurses that was not in their training manual.
After the Karitane hospitals closed in the late 1970s, and the Society was reorganised, Karitane nurses faced new challenges and a different training.
Joyce Powell, a former Plunket nurse with a long-time interest in New Zealand history, has interviewed former Karitane nurses and recorded their stories.
Many of us have reasons to be grateful for the work of Karitane nurses, and here the publisher expresses a personal debt of gratitude to the Wellington Karitane nurses of the 1930s. Without the dedication of these women, the publisher's mother would not have survived babyhood.
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The Ultimate Kiwi Pub Crawl - 30,000km, 1,000 pubs in 4 years
With law and lifestyle changes, the 'local' in many areas of New Zealand is having trouble surviving. People buy their alcohol and take it home, or eat and drink at restaurants. Young people frequent clubs and bars. Our rural hotels, in particular, are noticing a downturn in trade.
Hotels are being sold, the buildings put to other uses, or just closing and the building falling into disrepair. A major part of our history is fading away.
The Ultimate Kiwi Pub Crawl records for us and future generations stories from some of these pubs - brief histories, ghost stories - told by the publicans or their customers.
From Northland to Bluff, the authors visited 1,000 pubs in under 4 years. They had a small beer in each and took a photo before leaving to prove they'd visited.
For over 20 years Bob Walters lived with agoraphobia. Then, after a promise to his dying brother, and with help from his doctor, Bob and his wife Marie began to explore New Zealand, visiting hotels and taverns on their journey. Their camera has lovingly recorded every pub they visited, and they took notes of pub stories.
Careful planning went into each trip. Birthdays, Christmas, Mothers & Fathers Days produced petrol vouchers to help with costs. Bob sold a much-loved collection of records to fund one trip down the South Island. They travelled roads some of us have never heard of, and have seen more of New Zealand in four years than most of us will see in a lifetime. The walls of their home are now covered with photos of pubs, and 400+ appear in this book.
Published: April 2006ISBN: 0-908708-68-8
RRP: NZ$38.00
Authors: Bob & Marie Walters
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