Hospital matron

Born: February 18, 1924;

Died: January 10, 2017

LOUISE Burgener, who has died aged 92 was a classic example of an immigrant who made a big impact in Scotland.

She was born in Zurich, but her parents' relationship collapsed and she was placed in foster care. Then, on leaving care, she began to care for others, initially in Switzerland, before, in the early 1950s, she came to Scotland, and to Ailsa Hospital, just outside Ayr.

As well as training to become a registered mental nurse at this old-style asylum, she was learning English, eventually, in 1955, gaining her registration. This was not the summit of her ambition, however, as she immediately set out to obtain her RGN qualification as a general nurse.

She opted to remain at the Ailsa, however, and her professionalism and care for her patients soon saw her earning promotion. She became a nurse tutor, and eventually rose to become assistant matron at the hospital.

Although never afraid of the responsibilities of management, she always insisted her happiest years were those on the wards, and the daily routine of patient care. In later years, with the change to a more community-based approach to mental health nursing, she played her part in establishing new protocols. For Louise Burgener, the patient always came first.

Ill-health forced her into early retirement. She now had the time to travel, including one road trip back to see her extended family in Zurich. This involved driving herself there in her trusted Lada. She did not bother with hotels, preferring to sleep in the car at night.

In retirement, she house-sat for a friend for a number of years, which encouraged her to become involved in gardening. Her final years, however, were spent in her own flat in Troon, prior to her final illness and move to the Ayrshire Hospice.

Her father had been a musician, and music, in particular the classics, was always a huge part of her life. She had a large and comprehensive collection of classic albums and CDs, while her radio dial was set to Classic FM – she found BBC Radio 3 “too stuffy”.

Another of her interests was photography and she was seldom without either her cine or still camera on her frequent trips both at home and abroad. She was a very good photographer.

She was a hard worker for the charities she supported, both financially and in deed, while if she had a vice it was that she was a shopaholic. She came to love her adopted Scotland, giving the mentally ill of Ayrshire over 40 years of devoted service, in a life well lived.

She never married, unless you count to the calling of mental health nursing.

MATT VALLANCE