May is Nurses Month and once again I am writing on the lives of nurses often forgotten and unacknowledged. Hopefully, throughout the rest of this month, I can share some of their lives.

When I returned to Bermuda in 1967, Sandra Allen was already working in St George’s as the second Bermudian district nurse/midwife employed by the Bermuda Welfare Society. She joined Leonie Harford, who had been employed in 1963, and later I joined as the district nurse for Smith’s Parish. It took 38 years before this organisation saw fit to employ Bermudian nurses.

Whenever Sandra and I had time off, we would meet at the Lobster Pot or the Penthouse on Burnaby Street to catch up on our personal lives, our patients, or our days at The Berkeley Institute, where she was often reprimanded for her outspoken questioning of authority.

But above all, we discussed our future in an environment that was not always welcoming to local nurses of colour. We saw the need for greater change and we were willing to take risks. Sandra was determined to own her own home and began to use her free time as a telephone operator at the Bermuda Telephone Company. She achieved her dream, when she purchased a condo in Cavendish Heights.

Sandra Allen was the daughter of political activist Wilfred “Mose” Allen, a founding member of the Progressive Labour Party, and his wife, Inelda Castle-Allen. Sandra attended the Ord Road School and The Berkeley Institute before following the path of many young Black women who, during those early days, went off to England to study nursing and midwifery. She completed her general training at St George’s General Hospital in Essex before moving on to train at the oldest and most prestigious maternity hospital in Europe — Queen Charlotte’s Maternity Hospital in London, founded in 1739 and named after the wife of King George III.

Joan Dillas-Wright, the President of the Senate and a close friend of Sandra, completed her general training at the same hospital. Together they indulged their sense of adventure and travelled extensively throughout England and the European continent. They attended concerts at the Royal Albert Hall and the Palladium. They explored their interest in politics by frequenting Speaker’s Corner at Hyde Park and often went to social functions put on by the West Indian Association. It was during this period in her life that she became exposed to political discussions with interesting citizens of the world, particularly from Africa and the Caribbean.

In 1969, Sandra resigned her position as the district nurse/midwife for St George’s and accepted a position at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, where she remained until retirement. Initially, she worked on the Maternity Ward, which was stifling for her as only doctors delivered the babies, and midwives delivered when a doctor was delayed and did not arrive in time. Becoming frustrated, she moved on to other nursing roles in the hospital and over time progressed to nursing supervisor and assistant director in charge of continuing care.

Sandra joined KEMH when there was a lack of upward mobility for Bermudian nurses. They were highly trained, possessed the required qualifications, but were continuously passed over. Bermudian nurses discovered that vacant senior positions were not being advertised and foreigners were being selected.

Sandra grew up in a very political home and knew that complacency was not the answer. She became a driving force in rectifying this situation. She, along with several nursing colleagues, became the catalyst for the necessary change in the treatment plaguing local nurses working at KEMH. She was outspoken and fearless — qualities necessary to create change. Together they protested and eventually their demands were met. One of these changes required all nursing positions be advertised.

Reading was one of Sandra’s many interests. She found the work of Deepak Chopra particularly enlightening and submersed herself in transcendental meditation. She was fastidious in her personal appearance and always exuded elegance. She enjoyed the company of friends and entertained regularly. Her baking skills were unsurpassed.

Despite her painful struggles and surgeries for an arthritic condition, Sandra continued to enjoy playing tennis, which became a part of her Saturday morning routine whenever possible. Her love of tennis was such that one year she attended the US Open. Her diet was very important and she adhered to one which related to the suppression of her arthritis. She even travelled to an holistic centre in Mexico to become more knowledgeable about the best diet for her medical condition.

She enjoyed travel and always encouraged friends to join her as she visited Brazil, many Caribbean islands and the American continent. Her friend, Meredith Smith, recalled their trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where they indulged in a mutual love of Native American history, art galleries, museums and the culinary scene. In later years, they travelled to attend a breast cancer conference in South Africa.

Upon her retirement, she became a volunteer for the Red Cross and the administrator for the Matilda Smith-Williams Home.

I was surprised when she accepted a position as the nanny for a little girl. She just did not seem the type to have the patience for childcare, but Sandra explained that this was one experience in life she had missed and wanted to experience the joy of caring for a child. What fun they had together, visiting the aquarium, the agricultural exhibition and all the activities involved in looking after a little girl. She felt that this experience helped her to see the world in a different light, through the eyes of a child, and she loved it. Eventually, she moved on to the Bermuda Housing Trust, where she was the support services co-ordinator.

Sandra Allen was the consummate professional who will be remembered always for her straightforward, no-nonsense attitude and her willingness to mentor others. She always gave of her best and expected everyone working with her to deliver a stellar performance.

She died in 2021 at the age of 80.

• Cecille Snaith-Simmons is a retired nurse, historian, writer and author of The Bermuda Cookbook