Cherbourg Hospital domestics Cassandra Duncan and Vera Roma 1962
Cassandra Duncan and Vera Roma are part of a large number of girls and women who work at the hospital. They are employed as domestics, nurse’s aides, midwives, cooks, kitchen hands and laundresses.
The domestics, nurse’s aides and midwives are required to work in shifts. The morning shift starts at 7am through until 2pm. The afternoon shift is from 2pm to 9pm, the night shift is from 9pm to 7am the next morning. During the night shift white nurses do not work, they are on call for any emergencies — an expectant mother in labour with complications. Otherwise the Aboriginal mid-wife would attend to the birth.
