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our history
In order to appreciate fully the progress achieved and the work being done at the Maitland Cottage Home, it is not only necessary to recall its early history, but it is also interesting to note its gradual development in spite of many years of financial stress and "make shift".
The Cape Town Society for the Protection of Child Life, through the special interest of its Secretary, Miss Quin, in 1923 established the Invalid Children's Aid Fund. This Fund was formed when it was found that a very urgent need existed to alleviate the suffering of needy handicapped invalid children, of all races, who were living under appalling home conditions. The Fund, in the first instance, provided such essentials as extra nourishment, medicines, surgical appliances, crutches etc.
It was soon proved, that due to the poverty, to deal with cases in their own homes was pointless, and it became evident that a Home, for coloured children in particular, was essential if the Invalid Children's Aid Fund was to be of any service. It is recorded (in the old records) that voluntary workers found children, who had received treatment at out-patient clinics, in an almost worse state than they had been prior to such treatment. They were discovered lying helpless in plaster or on frames, in sheds, in dirty back yards, sharing beds with three or four other members of the family, or in some dark corner propped up on boxes and sacks, verminous, covered with sores, half starved and wholly neglected. One child was found locked up in a dirty back room for the whole day while his mother was at work.
In December 1929, the tragic plight of these children was laid before the public through the medium of the Cape Times, and sufficient money was raised to enable the Society to rent two cottages in the Maitland Garden Village. The cottages were referred to as the "Maitland Cottage Homes" and the initial number of children admitted totalled seven.
During the mid 1930's non-traumatic orthopaedic cases proved a problem at the New Somerset Hospital. Tuberculosis was rife. The outpatient department in the tin shanty was hot in the summer and cold in winter and the place could not accommodate the patients. (This led Dr. Hamilton Bell to use the Maitland Cottage Home as a centre for the orthopaedic treatment of such cases. No improvements were made at Somerset Hospital because of the pending opening of Groote Schuur Hospital.)
An Invalid Children's Aid Committee was in due course appointed and Dr. Lee agreed to supervise the health of the children who were placed in the charge of a House-Mother. Many members of the public helped in practical ways, among these were Miss Vera Philips and Miss Arnold who paid weekly visits to teach the children handicrafts and simple lessons.
In spite of great financial difficulties the work at the Home increased and extended as more cottages were rented. By 1938 there were 64 children in the Homes, but it was then decided that no more children could be admitted due to insufficient funds.
A member of the Maitland Cottage Home Committee was once overheard saying: "We had such a dreadful struggle to make ends meet but always, just when we were at our wits end, something turned up ".
This seems to have been a common occurrence through the years. In this particular instance relief came in January 1939 when Miss Iris Michaelis, now Mrs Peter Hughes and President of the Maitland Cottage Home Society, visited the Homes. She was so interested and sympathetic that she offered to equip and endow a cottage to accommodate a further 20 children. This cottage was named the "Iris Michaelis Cottage" and was officially opened by her on 4 April 1939. Soon after this she endowed another cottage under the same terms and the number of children was increased to 108.
In the same year sewing classes for the girls were commenced. A dressmaker was employed and under her tuition the girls undertook the mending and later even the making of new garments for the children in the Home. They also started making articles for sale. The boys were taught to make crayfish nets; this provided a useful and comparatively remunerative occupation.
During this year the Girl Guide Association became active at the Home and the first Sunbeams and Wayfarers were enrolled. The School which, since its inception, had been run as a branch of the Weslyan Mission School, was taken over by the Cape School Board with the status of a special school and two teachers were appointed.
While the work continued at the Home, the care of the children in their own homes continued to be an ever increasing concern and burden to the Invalid Children's Aid Committee.
The enormity of this work is brought home when we find that in 1940 the Secretary-Supervisor and her part-time assistants paid 1 510 visits. Prior to the appointment of the Secretary in 1937, Committee Members and voluntary workers attended to the district work. One person was allowed to attend the weekly Orthopaedic Clinic, held at Somerset Hospital by the late Doctors Pieter Moll and Pieter Roux, and received instructions for the treatment of children who could not be admitted to hospitals. These instructions were duly passed on to other voluntary workers who did their best for their cases. It was not until 1946 that this great responsibility of district work was taken over entirely by the Cape Cripple Care Association.
During 1940 due to the transfer of poor relief, a series of discussions took place between the Department of social Welfare and the Provincial Administration in an endeavour to decide which department should assume the financial assistance of Maitland Cottage Home. The Social Welfare
Department considered that the Home should be classed as a hospital and become the responsibility of the Provincial Administration who was not prepared, at the time, to accept the additional financial burden. The Union Government however, agreed in order to save the Home, to continue to pay maintenance grants for committed children, but as these children were discharged and as further cases could no longer be committed to the Home, matters became increasingly difficult and it would appear that survival was in the balance.
The Committee in addition to the responsibilities of maintaining the Home and of district work had to find the difference between the inadequate grants and the sum required for general maintenance. During 1941 the Provincial Administration reconsidered its decision and agreed to a grant of £1 500 per annum. This grant enabled the Home to keep its doors open, but bare necessities only could be provided.
Towards the end of 1943 the Department of Public Health agreed to the registration of the Invalid Children's Aid Society and Maitland Cottage Home as an independent organisation which became subsequently affiliated to the Cape Cripple Care Association.
During 1944 Dr. B. Swil commenced his association with the Home. He served on the Medical Committee and as Honorary Medical Officer faithfully looked after the general health of the patients until his retirement in 1973.
In 1946, a trained sister was provided by the Provincial Administration and Mr. A.J. Helfet accepted the invitation as Honorary Orthopaedic Surgeon to the Home. It was then no longer necessary to take children to out-patient clinics.
So great was the suffering of coloured crippled children for whom no hospital beds were available that a well-meaning Committee increased the number of patients to 135 in spite of limited funds and accommodation. The Home consequently was found to be very much overcrowded and it was necessary in 1946 to reduce the number to 78. Those who remained were the worst cases in need of skilled nursing care and treatment. Consequently, the Committee was compelled to provide more and more nursing care and medical treatment, under great difficulties and in premises never intended for hospital work.
Mr. A. Singer joined the Honorary Staff of the hospital in 1950, and with his help the scope of treatment was increased. He served the Home as Chairman of the Medical Committee and Honorary Orthopaedic Surgeon until his death in 1973.
During 1950 it was fully realised, that the demand for beds for coloured crippled children in need of hospitalisation, was still on the increase and further that sufficient beds were still not available in existing Orthopaedic Hospitals to cope with the demand. As a result of this, the Committee decided to forego the original idea of an after care centre and applied for registration as a hospital. The Provincial Administration agreed to this on 9 September 1950 and also to give a generous Grant-in-Aid. Before the end of that year adequate food, bed linen, medical equipment, drugs, etc., were purchased without fear of financial embarrassment. Orthopaedic appliances, so essential in the nursing of crippled patients, could for the first time be purchased whenever ordered by the Surgeon.
The Organising Secretary-Treasurer Mrs. M. A. Hare was appointed to the staff on 1 March 1950 and served the Home for 32 years until her retirement on 31 March 1982.
The relief provided by the Grant-in-Aid enabled the Committee to direct its energies to raising funds for a suitable building, as it was quite impossible to continue to give medical care and treatment under the existing conditions. Land was purchased in Kildare Road, Newlands, and Mrs. S. F. Waterson, Chairman of the Home from 1949 to 1953 and her Committee in 1950 launched a vigorous campaign for funds for a new hospital building. Their efforts were crowned with success, and a suitable building was erected in record time by H. P. Smit (Pty) Ltd. at a very low figure and the entire organisation moved into the new premises on 18 March 1952.
The Maitland Cottage Home was then in a position to provide treatment of tuberculosis of bone and joint on a standard comparable with that of other recognised orthopaedic institutions. A modern theatre was soon equipped and progress continued steadily as more money became available.
Mrs. Berry Waterson resigned as Chairman in 1953 and Mrs. Margaret Janisch was elected to take her place. Mrs. Janice resigned in 1959 when she moved to Johannesburg. Mrs. N. G. Pringle was then elected Chairman.
The Honorary Medical Staff was strengthened by the appointment of Mr. W. L. Phillips as Honorary Thoracic Surgeon and Advisor on the treatment of general tuberculosis, of Dr. H. B. Clegg as Honorary Pathologist, of Drs. J. Abelsohn, N. Smiedt and P. Jenkin as Honorary Anaesthetists and Dr. P. Michau as assistant Orthopaedic Surgeon.
In May 1954 Mrs. Peter Hughes (née Iris Michaelis) was unanimously elected President at the Annual General Meeting. At the same meeting Miss. D. Blackburn, Lady Joy Packer and Dr. T. Shadick-Higgins were elected Vice-Presidents.
The Management Committee and Council in 1954, on a unanimous vote, applied to the Community Chest for membership. The application was accepted.
In May 1954 Mrs. A. Reyneke who held the post of Orthopaedic Sister-in-Charge since 1952 was appointed Matron. She resigned in 1956 and Matron Kelly was appointed to the post.
Mr. Martin Singer joined the Honorary Medical Staff in 1956 and in 1973, after the death of his brother, was elected Chairman of the Medical Sub-Committee.
In 1957 Mr. George Dall joined the staff as an Orthopaedic Surgeon; Mrs. J. F. Steinhobel was unanimously elected Honorary Life Member.
Work increased slowly in quality and quantity during the years and the hospital building was extended three times: more staff quarters and a hall; the main kitchen area was enlarged; ablution facilities were increased to cope with the increased number of patients.
Fund raising proved so successful after 1950 that the Committee gradually decreased their activities in this field and finally in 1966 decided, until there was need, not to appeal for funds by way of street collections or any other special fund raising efforts. Subscriptions, voluntary donations, donations via Annual Report appeals and Legacies, were excepted.
In March 1977 Miss Fiona Kunz joined the staff and on the retirement of Mrs. Hare assumed the post of Secretary/Treasurer from April 1982.
In 1977, with the assistance of Professor George Dall, the University of Cape Town approved the addition of the Maitland Cottage Home to the Teaching Hospitals of the University.
After Maitland Cottage Home was registered as a Teaching Hospital, work rapidly increased and it was soon evident that the hospital should be enlarged. In 1981 architects were invited to make a feasibility study of the project and to estimate costs.
At the Annual General Meeting in 1981 Professor George Dall and Mr. Martin Singer were unanimously elected Vice-Presidents of the Society.
At the Annual General Meeting in 1984 Mrs. N. G. Pringle resigned as Chairman after 25 years service. Mrs Mary Louise Torrington was elected Chairman.
In 1985 Maitland Cottage Home Society held their first Street Collection, after many years, in aid of the Operating Theatre Fund.
Matron Kelly retired at the end of March 1987 and Mrs. Jean Schreiber assumed the post of the Matron form May 1987.