May 15th

'Inspire'If your actions inspire others to dream more,

learn more, do more and become more,

you are a leader.”

~ John Quincy

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I am putting my choice of quote under the photo today simply because this lady really did act as an inspiration to me during the early part of my life.
Rhoda was a leader, she was a very petite and unassuming lady, who if you saw in the street looked like any other little old lady and at the time I met her and she was loosing her sight.

I first met her when I moved to Cornwall with Colin and our daughter Sue who was 1 year old at the time. Rhoda was our new neighbour and we soon became good friends and remained so until she died. Her whole ethos on life was amazing, she was always there to talk to and give advice and athough sadly she never married, her fiancé was killed in the 2nd world War, she always knew what to say and when to say it.

I will always remember the day I told her I was pregnant with Julie, she amazed me by saying she already knew, then told me that she had noticed a change in the skin pigmentation around my nose and that told her I was pregnant, to this day I have never worked that one out!
Rhoda trained as a nurse and during the 2nd World War she served in France, Egypt, Palestine, Syria and West Africa as a nursing officer and afterwards joined the Colonial Service and was posted to Malaya.
Whilst in Malaya her job was to help pioneer the training of local girls into the nursing profession, in which work she received cooperation from the medical and nursing staff, many of whom had spent more than 4 years in Japanese P.O.W. camps. On leaving Malaya Rhoda had a scholarship given in her name by the Trained Nurses Association of Malaya, and a Hall in the School of nursing named in her honour. Also in 1957 she received the M.B.E. for ‘Distinguished Service in the Colonies’.
Not only was she a great friend to me but an incredible fund raiser for worthy causes always ready to help and give talks at short notice. Her selfless life will always be and remain an inspiration to me.
I can not take credit for todays photo, it was taken by Colin for Rhoda when she first released a book all about her amazing life. Sadly this is now out of print but I do have a much read and treasured copy.