MOTHER ASKED TO SPEAK TO YOUNG TRAINEES

I have no idea when the following took place but I have kept everything in sequence so I guess it happened after mum's 'accident" when she was once again back on her feet, so to speak.

Excerpt from 'THE CLOCK OF TIME' by Gertrude Ruston.  (pp 209-210)

"TRAINED SOCIAL WORK

The establishment of a School of Social Work at the University of Western Australia was viewed with some misgiving by many of the welfare bodies whose voluntary workers had given their services for many years to help people in need in the community.

Probably due to my long practical experience in social work, Mrs Teddy Stockbridge, of the University Department of Social Studies, asked me to speak to her students towards the end of their courses, and I was very pleased and honoured to accept the invitation.

The students were mostly very young and attractive and had, of course, all the theoretical knowledge that we of the older generation lacked, as there was no such thing as a school of social studies in our day.

I told these young people that I envied their ability to enter a well paid field of work, but expected they might find many practical problems associated with the handicapped, families, children, teenagers, young people and the aged which would call upon all their tolerance and understanding.

Years of practical experience alone had taught us to handle many of these cases and yet had to face up to challenges a they arose.

Among other things, I remember telling them that when, like me, they had grey hair, they would probably look back and feel satisfied that their chosen profession had enabled them to do so much for so many people.

I was delighted when Teddy rang me and told me she had obtained her doctorate and was now Dr Teddy Stockbridge, Ph.D., and congratulated her very sincerely.

She asked me to make a tape for her, telling how I had gone about starting my various organisations, all of which had been necessary and had succeeded.  I remember her coming to my home with her tape recorder and bombarding me with questions so that she could register the answers.  We spent two or three hours together while she probed for the details she wanted.

Teddy did not appear to be too well, but I had no idea that she was seriously ill, and when she died a short time later it was a great shock and a sad loss to social welfare.  We needed her practical understanding of social work which is still missing in so many of our graduates."

I can remember mum being very upset when she learned of the death of this wonderful woman.