NEW ZEALAND: Scholarship will mark Tillie's love of nursing

. TARANAKI, New Zealand / Taranaki Daily News / March 21, 2009 A new scholarship for Taranaki nurses is to be established as a legacy of New Plymouth nurse, midwife and nursing tutor Tillie Hickey. By FELICITY ROOKES - Taranaki Daily News Tillie Hickey loved nursing. She was a nurse, midwife and nursing tutor as well as a part of several organisations including Save the Children and the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child. Mrs Hickey, mother of TV One weatherman Jim Hickey, died last week at 89 from Parkinson's Disease. But the New Plymouth woman wanted her passion for nursing to live on so she left her family with careful instructions on developing a scholarship to help Taranaki nurses get ahead. Mrs Hickey's daughter, Mary Jane Hillier, says the family has already set about honouring her mother's wishes. "Mother just thought that she would really like to leave some funds for a scholarship behind to be presented annually to a deserving student who wanted to pursue a nursing career," Mrs Hillier says. "It was her firm belief in nursing which drove the scholarship." It will be called The Tillie Hickey Memorial Nursing Scholarship. "It would be for a year and then the next year it would go to another nurse. It would be to help with fees and study [costs]." Even at her funeral, Mrs Hickey did not want flowers but asked for a donation to the scholarship fund. The family are continuing to contribute towards this scholarship by holding dinners and selling cards and calendars as a type of fundraiser, Mrs Hillier says. The scholarship will only be available to Taranaki nurses as Mrs Hickey completed her nursing training in the region. "We want to keep it around New Plymouth because this is where she trained during the war at Barrett St Hospital with her two sisters, Mary and Catherine," Mrs Hillier says. She hopes to start the scholarship next year, with applications in February. "The criteria will be someone who is passionate about the nursing profession or someone who goes above and beyond for it." Mrs Hickey herself was a nursing tutor for years after training in nursing and midwifery. Her husband, Jim Hickey senior, was a Spitfire pilot during World War II. A book will be published on her philosophy and nursing beliefs, which will help raise money for the scholarship. © 2009 Fairfax New Zealand Limited