THE Hospitals Auxiliary of Bermuda last week bade farewell to one of its long-serving members.

Deborah Butterfield served as a hospital volunteer for 50 years. Her start, in fact, predates the establishment of the HAB.

"There was no Auxiliary then but my mother had been a nurse and a good friend of mine, May Hardy, was as well," she explained. "So I was interested. I decided to see what I could do."

In those days, King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) was located next door to its present site ? the building in which the Department of Education is now housed.

Mrs. Butterfield said she spent much of her time arranging flowers for patients, making beds and doing much of the work which now falls to hospital orderlies.

"I would go in on Saturday mornings because my husband was at home and could keep an eye on the children," she said. "And then of course when we moved to the new hospital, that was different then.

"That was wonderful. We had to work in the wards. We didn't work in the cafeteria in those days because there wasn't one but we did have a (dedicated) room for arranging flowers."

Although invited to participate, Mrs. Butterfield said she had little to do with the establishment of the HAB but it definitely made volunteering an easier task.

"I had to refuse because I didn't want to get involved in anything more, until my youngest child was two years old. So I had to wait for a couple of years," she said.

The 89 year old said she continued with her HAB duties, truly believing that "nursing was a wonderful thing to do.

"I continued because I loved it. I was at the front desk for quite some time. I enjoy that. I've worked in the cafeteria. In fact, I've done most jobs. I just enjoyed it all. I've seen the hospital evolve and indeed, I'm a great admirer of (it). I know that's not the usual thing you read about in the paper, but it's true. I think they do a wonderful job."

Having spent 50 years as a volunteer, Mrs. Butterfield decided it was time she retired, but she encouraged anyone with an interest in volunteering to discover what the HAB is all about.

"I'd encourage anyone to go into the Auxiliary office and see what they offer you to do. It is fun," she said.