Mary McCabe, a sister midwife for decades at the former Falkirk & District Royal Infirmary, recently celebrated her 100th birthday surrounded by family, friends and former colleagues.
After volunteering at Bannockburn Fever Hospital, she was eventually accepted to begin her training as a registered fever nurse at the former Falkirk Burgh Hospital in 1939. She spent time working as a midwife and a district nurse in Glasgow before returning to Falkirk In 1949 when was given a sister’s post. She worked part-time as a midwife at FDRI after she had children and continued working at the hospital until her retirement in December 1981.
Daughter Esther said: “Mum delivered hundreds of Falkirk Bairns over the years. She has been there at some very special moments for families from all over the district.
“As youngsters we could never go up the street without mum stopping to look in prams and talk to mums about how their babies were coming on.”
Mary also remembers how she and her colleagues would save up a kitty and every month enjoy going to dinner dances across the district including at the Powfoulis and Inchyra Hotels.
Mary is pictured with NHS Forth Valley’s Director of HR, Linda Donaldson (back row, left) and former midwifery colleagues including Jean Fowler (front row, second from left) who spent the majority of her 42-year NHS career working at FDRI.
