Mavis in 1955 | |
Mavis and her husband at Buckingham Palace, after receiving her MBE | |
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Mavis' story
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In 1954, 17-year-old Mavis Stewart set sail from Jamaica aboard the SS Estonia, leaving the goodwill of an entire community behind her. Her voyage took her from the sunshine and vibrant colours of the Caribbean to the smoke, fog and general drabness of 1950s austerity London.
The journey took eight days, but it had taken 17 years of hard work, not just by Mavis, but by her parents, her six brothers and one younger sister. Economics dictated that only one child could go on into secondary education. That child was Mavis and the rest of the family had worked to ensure she should have the opportunity.
In the UK, Mavis became a nurse then trained as a midwife. She rose to become a much-respected NHS manager and has been awarded the MBE for her contribution to Community Relations in this country.
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