MODEM

Barbara Witzenfeld

I started work as a trainee cardiac technician at St Thomas’s Hospital.  I very much enjoyed the work and it inspired me to move to social work. I worked for London County Council and was sent off to college to train as a careers counsellor. The work suited me well and I also trained to help Special Needs young people into employment. I continued working until I was 62.

I had three children by my first husband and went with him to Kenya with the Crown Agents where he was the main Mechanical Engineer for East African Railways. We returned after two years and sadly divorced. I then decided to train for teaching to support my children and went to St. Marys University Twickenham to study English and Music for age 7–12. I was employed by a Stage School afterwards which was a very happy place.

I met my second husband John who already had three children. With my three, that made six and we added to that by having a seventh. I stayed at home a few years to bring up children but returned to Careers Guidance with Richmond Borough which I enjoyed stayed for 12 years.

When I retired, I trained as a Christian Counsellor; I have found the work very rewarding but I stopped last Summer because of the needs and demands of my husband John suffering from Dementia. We have a very large family including eleven grand children who we are glad to help as and when we can. We had the joy of a new granddaughter last Christmas.