Dilys Paes
At the start of every term, I always had a cough for about two or three days and I put it down to the fact that I used a lot of chalk on blackboards because you had to illustrate everything. You were teaching young kiddies and I used to always draw pictures or numbers or shapes or whatever. I think it was the chalk that I was using while talking and I think it must have got in my throat. This particular time at the beginning of the summer term Dad started complaining that I was keeping him awake at night with my coughing so I said I would go around to the surgery as we didn't have to make appointments. I went and was told that Dr Choudry, who was our family doctor, wasn't there but his partner Dr Paes would see me. Dr Paes looked at my throat and said it was a bit sore, and I asked him if he would have a look at my ear because I felt I wasn't quite hearing everything clearly. It was at that point that it was found that I had deafness and that I would qualify for a hearing aid. Dr Paes said he would make arrangements for me to be seen at the Victoria Hospital in Blackpool, which was the centre of anything to do with hearing and ears, and they had the equipment for testing and they could give me a hearing aid. I went, and Dr Paes was there as well, with his cousin. They were very kind and very helpful and indeed it was found that I had got hearing loss and I qualified for a hearing aid.
My mother had a hearing aid and she was quite big and bosomy and you really wouldn't know that she had a little leather case with two batteries and a wire attached to the actual bit you put in your ear. I was seven stone and a bit at that time and I really didn't have anywhere to put this little leather case. I took it to school once. I only used it for half a day and I decided no, it wasn't for me. Of course, soon after that the very heavy things were done away with. We had the little ones that you just put behind your ear with a little bit of tubing into your ear, and they were fine, and I have been fine with them ever since.
That was April and in June Mum was taken ill. Doctor Paes came to see her and said that she’d had a minor heart attack. Mum didn't want to go into hospital and he said he was prepared to care for her, but she would need care during the day. Gwyn and I looked after Mum, and Selwyn was there as well and he tried to be helpful. Dad was working and Gwyn would stay at home, going to work in the afternoon about 2pm and I'd be home before 4:00pm. She made sure Mum had everything she wanted. It seemed to work well. In the meantime, Gwyn became engaged to Ernest Rogers. They spent a lot of time together and I wouldn't begrudge them that, so I spent the evenings looking after Mum, with Dad and Selwyn, and I didn't mind in the least doing that. It was summertime and everywhere was bright and colourful, I did my sewing and embroidery.