Woman returns to hospital where career began on 80th birthday

A woman is celebrating her 80th birthday by returning to the hospital where she began her career almost 60 years ago.

Agnes Muzikavanhu was one of the first overseas nurses to help solve the staffing shortage in Swansea Bay in 1967.

She had never been on a plane before, but at the age of 22 she left Rhodesia, now known as Zimbabwe, alone to train as a nurse at Morriston Hospital.

The hospital, which dates back to World War II, was a very different experience for Musikavanhu when he returned home.

When asked how she would like to spend her 80th birthday, the retired nurse immediately suggested a trip to a hospital in Wales.

She said she never forgot the warm welcome she received in Wales, despite moving to London and spending 20 years working in public health and running a private clinic in Zimbabwe.

“My sons asked me, ‘Mom, you’re almost 80 years old. What do you want to do?'”

“I said, ‘Look, more than anything, I want to go back to Morriston Hospital in South Wales, where I went as a young man.’

She added that she had “fun memories” of her time at Morriston.

“The people in Wales are so warm, so friendly and so sociable.”

For Musiqavanhu, his first visit to Wales was a leap into the unknown.

“I was the first black nurse to come here from Rhodesia.

“The segregation of whites and blacks in Rhodesia horrified me.”

She said that when she arrived in Morriston she was the only black girl and felt lonely for the first two days, but that she soon felt welcomed by the Welsh people.

“They said, ‘Come talk to me,’ and invited me into their dining room.”

Upon returning home, Msikavanhu was met up with her three sons, Farai, Tendai and Lugale, and given a tour of the hospital, where the boys also enjoyed tea and Welsh cakes, with staff singing them happy birthday in Welsh.

“There’s been a lot of changes, a lot of new buildings going up. I heard the old hospital was demolished, but it’s beautiful.”

The workforce has also undergone major changes and has become much more diverse.

“I am so happy, it is wonderful to have so many nurses from overseas.

“When I got here it was just me, and to have so many people recruited is special.”

“We’re really proud of what Agnes has done as a trailblazer for all of the nurses who go out and work here,” said Rebecca Davis, associate director of nursing critical care and hospital operations.

“It was really inspiring to meet and talk about nursing and how it has changed.”

His son Farai said the family was “overwhelmed with the pure love and welcome”.

“We were not prepared for the heartfelt expression of love that the staff at Morriston showed us today,” he said.

“Things were very different in the 1960s. Rhodesia was a British colony and the racial and social situation was difficult, but my mother always spoke fondly of the place.

“She had some unpleasant experiences as an immigrant but can’t remember any of them in Swansea.”

Among those sharing tea with Musikavamhu was fellow Zimbabwean infection control nurse Gondai Dhliwayo.

“I left home in 2001, aged 18. I trained as a nurse in North Wales and got my first job in Swansea in 2004.

“I think Agnes is something of a pioneer, she was one of the first black women to come to Swansea and she’s an inspirational person.”