MUSCHAMP, VALERIA LENA� nee� MARTELLETTI

 

Valeria Martelletti was born in Stratford on the 14 October 1940, the daughter of Vittori and Rosa Ann Maria Martelletti nee Lisignoli.� Vittorio, born in Piuro, Italy and Rosa, born in St Moritz, Switzerland came to New Zealand in May 1930.

 

When Valeria left school, her elder sister Rosa found her a job aiding at the Te Kopura maternity hospital at Dargaville for six months.� She then went to the Mater General Hospital at Auckland to do general nursing training.� However this was not to her liking, and she left and moved to Hawera to begin maternity training. �Valeria became a registered obstetric nurse.

 

On 26 January 1963 Valeria married Brian Dudley Muschamp at Waverley and had a break from her nursing duties to raise a family.

 

In 1975 she resumed duties as maternity nurse at the Hawera Maternity Annexe and did 15 years of night duty, so as her working life didn't interfere with her family life.� Next to her own family, her greatest joy was the newborn baby.� Valeria gave a meticulous "first toilet" and the baby was lovingly dressed and wrapped before being returned to its mother.

 

For those new mothers having problems, breast feeding in particular, Valeria spared no effort to help both mother and baby.� In general her advice was both good and practical.� She was rather reluctant to change to day duties but it wasn�t long before she expressed the enjoyment she was feeling at the change.

 

To patients at the annexe, Valeria will be remembered for her singing in the "wee small hours".� A great love was opera, and she was able to travel to Sydney to attend a concert by Pavarotti, after which, she laughingly told friends, she was so overwhelmed by his singing that she stood up and called her thanks.

 

Valeria was dedicated to her profession as a maternity nurse, and assisted at the births of hundreds of babies covering two generations.� She also was most supportive to her husband in his position as first officer for the Hawera Fire Brigade.

 

Valeria Muschamp died on the 14 December 1992 at Hawera and is buried at the Hawera cemetery.�

 

SOURCES

Obituary "Hawera Star" 19 Dec 1992

Family members