Thanksgiving Celebration for Norna Jamieson - Our Jamie (1910-2007)

The Jamieson Library, an important part of the Hypatia Trust activity base, was named, in 1986, in honour of ‘Jamie’ (pronounced Jimmy). Lucy Norna Jamieson was Melissa’s senior nurse tutor at St Thomas’ Hospital (1967-71) where she was in charge of the experimental Graduate Set, devised by the General Nursing Council, to draw university-qualified women into nursing.

She was herself a graduate of Edinburgh University before training as a nurse under the legendary Dame Alicia Lloyd Still (selected by Florence Nightingale to head up the nation’s first nursing school) at St Thomas’ Hospital, London, and the Rotunda Hospital (Midwifery), Dublin.

At the outbreak of WWII she volunteered as a nurse and worked widely throughout the Middle East, Far East and Northern Africa before returning to teach nursing for the rest of her career. Retiring from Tommys in the late 1970s, she determined to live out her years working in her ancestral islands, the Shetlands. And what an adventure that was – as she was eagerly taken on as a relief nurse on the off-islands! Melissa has collected her letters, photographs, etc. and visited her there a number of times, for festive times like Up-Helly-A, and in 2000 for her 90th birthday.

On Sunday 25th November 2007 about 60 friends of Hypatia gathered at Newmill to celebrate Jamie’s life.

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