Nurse Miss Dora Erin Giffney , Matron , 1922-1938
Miss DE Giffney was appointed Matron of the Māori Mission Hospital in 1922 , and continued to serve as Matron at the new Whakatāne District Hospital built on Stewart Street after it was opened in 1923 . She was born in 1882 , at Puketi in Ōtago , the daughter of Dr and Mrs JT Giffney and trained as a nurse at Auckland Hospital . She served in the Health Department and saw service as a nursing sister on a hospital ship during World War I . After the war she was appointed Matron of the Whangarei Public Hospital until her appointment in 1922 to the position in Whakatāne . She retired in August 1938 and married Mr FL Sumner in 1939 . After her retirement she was active in local politics , being elected to the Bay of Plenty Hospital Board in 1947 and became Deputy Chair in 1950 . She was also President of the Registered Nurses ’ Association for a short period of time . She died on 9 October 1952 aged 70 , exactly one week after her husband passed away .
Nurse Dora Erin Giffney . Photo : Bay of Plenty District Health Board Archive
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