But there was a problem. The elevator doors always opened on the main floor where a house mother, on duty 24/7, would vet anyone coming into the building, recalled Eileen Brown, a student resident who lived at Sherbrooke for three years while she trained as a registered nurse.“Apparently, you could stand with your back against the elevator wall and the house mothers couldn’t really see them.”“I was one of those people who was not going to break any rules,” she said.
Brown not only was born at Royal Columbian, she graduated from the hospital’s school of nursing in 1978 and worked for about 40 years as an RN at the hospital before retiring in 2018. She has since returned to help during the COVID-19 pandemic. Brown also lives in New Westminster and can see the residence being demolished. She’s philosophical about the change as the hospital continues on its multi-year expansion project.“We had so many good memories. The memories are in you. They’re in your heart and mind. There is going to be a great new building going there. The Royal Columbian has always been a great place.”