ANNIE DOYLE HAS GONE HOME TO HER FAMILY !
- 19/1/2009 <--Prev : Next-->
ANNIE DOYLE HAS GONE HOME TO HER FAMILY !
Anyone who has been connected with Bartley Block in Bulawayo will know Annie Doyle.
Dear diminutive Annie, weighing in at about 40kgs, perfectly groomed always, exquisitely
dressed in clothes, albeit they were pretty ancient, that could take her to tea at
Buckingham Palace ....
Annie was the doyen of Bartley Block. She ran the library, supervised the kitchens and
helped out in any way that she could. The good people of Bulawayo, via their Churches and
Associations, have for twenty years been making daily meal pilgrimages to Bartley Block to
make life more bearable for the residents.
At one time there were sixty residents but now the numbers have dwindled to around
twenty although goodness knows there must be hundreds of elderly folk in Bulawayo who
could do with a clean but shabby bed at Bartley Block.
Whenever we arrived, Annie would rush out as fast as her frail legs would allow, and help
with the food trays. Annie's twinkling eyes, bird-like and bright, would welcome everyone
with such joy. Her thin grey hair always wound in a regal chignon, Annie was the light of
so many lives at the Government Geriatric Nursing Home, where such sadness usually
abounded.
Annie took rigid control of the plates bought by the church groups, she kept a list of the
diabetics to ensure they were not given anything sweet, she would march around the long
corridors daily, distributing food, keeping a watchful eye on those sad hungry souls who
tried to get more than one plateful, and all the while keeping up a flow of cheerful
conversation, always regarding others, never complaining, always thankful and gracious.
Annie was not like the other residents, most of whom were bed or chair bound. Although
always clean and tidy, the hospital had little or no money for food or clothing and most of
what was there was by donations from the community. Rainy days were always a problem
at Bartley Block, as there were no dryers to dry the clothes for many of the patients who
were incontinent. Even when one is old and frail, one is still proud, and when pajama
bottoms were in short supply, dignity still had to be respected while passing out the food
plates ....
We tried so many times to coerce Annie to move to the Edith Duly Nursing Home, but she
refused saying "my family will not know where to find me when they come and fetch me "
Happily that day came yesterday and Annie's family have taken her to Johannesburg where
she will hopefully live out her last remaining years in the comfort of their arms, away from
the Institution which has housed her for so many years.
We will miss you Annie..
Thank you to all the wonderful folk of Bulawayo who serve those less fortunate.
"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." - Mahatma
Gandhi (1869-1948)
