There is a rich history to be uncovered among our nursing home residents and some incredibly remarkable stories have come to light during conversations with our care staff lately.
Eighty-six year old St Catherine’s resident, Gill Read, is proud to have shared a stage with 1948 Olympic skating champion, Barbara Anne Scott when she skated in the chorus for the 1950 production of Rose Marie on Ice at Harringay Arena in London.
A teenager at the time, Gill’s days were long – sometimes performing three shows in a day – with late finishes, when it would be a scramble to catch the last train. Gill was then faced with quite a walk home from the station before she could finally call it a night and enjoy a well-deserved rest.
The long-running show has given Gill so many wonderful memories that she still treasures today – not least that it was when she met her husband, Michael Read, who was also performing in the chorus.
“Oh, he was quite annoyed at me at first,” said Gill. “I was fairly new to performing and he was a seasoned professional, so I don’t think he was very happy to have to skate with me.”
However, love soon blossomed, helped along a little by Gill’s mum who offered Michael a place to stay at the family home while he was performing in the show.
The match-making obviously did the trick because Gill and Michael were married in 1951.
To help keep all those memories alive, staff have framed a copy of her cherished programme from the show, which clearly shows Gill and Michael’s name listed in the credits, for her to hang on her wall.