Introduction

This study was done to document the achievements of three leaders in

Caribbean nursing at the time of the nascent struggle for indigenous
leadership in all areas of West Indian society. It is a narrative of the lives of
three extraordinary women who gained both regional and international
recognition: Dame Nita Barrow of Barbados, Berenice Dolly of Trinidad and
Tobago, and Dr. Mary Sievwright of Jamaica. A feminist and colonialist
theoretical perspective is used for the exploration of political, social and
economic structures of the societies prior and during the nurses' era in order
to provide a context for their achievements and contributions.
They were bright, black women who embraced each challenge that came
their way as an opportunity for growth. This growth was not for personal gain
or self-aggrandizement but for the good of womankind and the nursing
profession...The single common distinguishing feature of these three women
was their selfless devotion to service. They worked relentlessly to improve
the image of nursing, the nursing profession, and the status of women. Each
one did so in her own unique way, and each had a deep, abiding religious
faith. Their stories depict their different approaches to their service to
women generally and nursing specifically, whether it was in the international
arena, in the Caribbean setting or in their own native land.
They were outstanding role models. They rose to prominence in a society in
which racism, gender and class distinctions existed and did so with
continued vitality and political savvy then most women at the time. They
defied tradition within a traditional woman's occupation. They blazed the
way for black women and nurses in particular to reach for the top. They were
the first black women in nursing in the Caribbean to receive national and
international acclaim, albeit not all to the same extent, and were the
acknowledged role models for black nurses and women in the region.

The

nursing

profession

in

the

Caribbean

underwent

remarkable

transformation between the 1950s and the 1990s. It was during this period
that nursing education evolved from an apprenticeship system to a college
or university educated profession based on recognized academic standards.
Dame Nita Barrow, former Governor-General of Barbados, whose career in
nursing administration took her from Barbados to Jamaica; Berenice Dolly, a
leader in the establishment of a nurses association in Trinidad and Tobago;
and Mary Seivwright, the first doctoral-educated nurse from Jamaica,
Gertrude Swaby, a nurse educator and editor of the journal Jamaican Nurse;
and Julie Symes, an English nurse who moved to Jamaica after World War II
and who was instrumental in establishing a nurse registration body in
Jamaica. Their contributions extended to other English-speaking Caribbean
territories, this study also focuses on the impact that these women had on
regional nursing education development and the factors that influenced their
involvement. The changes that emerged from the contributions of these
women

with

respect

to

influence,

commitment,

credibility,

visibility,

networking, and mentoring in the profession of nursing are profound.

The British colonial past of most nations in the English-speaking Caribbean

links these geographically disparate countries from the Bahamas in the
north through Jamaica to Barbados and onward to Trinidad and Tobago and
finally Guyana in the south. These nations were transformed as a result of
post-World
government,

War

II

trade

independence
unionism,

and

movements,
the

the

granting

improvement

of

of

self-

educational

opportunities for the black majority. As the political and economic situation in
the

Caribbean

improved,

so

did

health

standards,

resulting

in

the

establishment of better health facilities and the need for indigenously trained
medical professionals especially nurses.

Changes in the administration and education of nurses in the Caribbean

colonies were initiated in the late 1940s as a result of Lord Moynes West
India Commission report, which recommended that nursing education be
better organized. Several women from each colony were chosen to go to
England on scholarship for basic and advanced nurse training with the view
that upon their return they would assume leadership roles in the organization
and administration of nursing in their respective country. Up to this point in
most Caribbean nations, the senior nurses (called Sisters or Matrons) were
recruited from Britain and the locally-recruited staff nurses received inhospital training, low pay and few opportunities for advancement. There was
continued pressure through the 1950s and 1960s at both the local and
regional levels to improve nursing in all respects: educational standards, the
organization of nursing services, conditions of work, standards of practice,
and for the establishment of an accreditation and registration body in each
country.
Using a feminist approach, Hezekiah describes how the womens movement
in the Caribbean developed and how nurses especially recognized the
necessity for regional co-operation and net-working to improve their
situation. Although none of the women profiled in Hezekiahs book would
have considered themselves to be feminist, they realized that the goals
that they wished to attain were similar enough to warrant the establishment
of the Caribbean Nurses Organization. Soon after the establishment of the
CNO, and with the cooperation of the Pan American Health Organization,
they embarked on a programme to survey all nursing schools in the
Caribbean. Throughout the 1960s PAHO, CNO and ministries of health in
many Caribbean nations under- took a series of studies on nursing. Thus,
step by step, improvements were achieved in standards in nursing
education, standards of care, application of the results of nursing research,
among other achievements. The work of establishing and maintaining
standards of nursing education and nursing care for the Caribbean was taken

over

by

the

Caribbean-based

Regional

Nursing

Body

following

its

establishment 1972.
The history of nursing education in Jamaica between 1946 and 1986
underwent a great change. During this forty-year period Jamaica ceased to
be a colony and became an independent nation. At the same time, nurse
education was organized and a structured nurse training programme with a
qualified nurse educator was implemented. Finally, with the establishment of
a regulatory body for the registration of nurses, nursing became recognized
as a profession. The three women profiled made their contribution to the
development of nurse education in Jamaica, being pioneers not only in
Jamaica but throughout the English-speaking Caribbean generally.

Berenice Dolly was very careful about the pronunciation of her name - "Bere-nice" and not just "Bernice" - an unusual one for an unusual woman.
Born almost 85 years ago, eldest sister to Vera (deceased) and Leslie, Ben as
she became known, was married to the late Dr Reynold Dolly for 58 years at
the time of his passing in January 1999.
During a Funeral Mass of Thanksgiving for her life on July 1, 2002, at Our
Lady of Perpetual Help Roman Catholic Church in San Fernando, Ben was
eulogised by Yvonne Pilgrim, Executive Director of the Trinidad & Tobago
Registered Nurses Association, and her daughter Joan Massiah, on behalf of
her siblings, Stephen and Hilary. In 1929, Ben Grant was the first girl to top
the College Exhibition exam. She attended Bishop Anstey High School, chose
nursing as a profession and proceeded to dedicate her life to its development
and to the recognition of the profession as equal to any other.

"This exemplar of the nursing profession" said Pilgrim "who epitomised

strength

of

character,

integrity,

and

ethical

rectitude,

contributed

significantly to the development of the nursing profession locally, regionally

and internationally; as well as to the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago through
her

involvement

outstanding

in

several

achievements

community

spanned

from

organisations."
the

Ben

establishment

Dolly's
of

the

Soroptomist International Port of Spain to the founding of the League of

Women's Voters, and revival of the Tuberculosis Association Southern Region
(renamed the Chest and Heart Association). She gave yeoman service to the
Coterie of Social Workers, Julien Commission concerned with the Health
Services of the Nation, Attorney General's Committee on Law Reform,
Agricultural Society of Trinidad and Tobago and Trinidad and Tobago Orchid
Society.