Idília, the Seamstress – Hansen Stories

Idília, the Seamstress

Maria Idília began working at the Rovisco Pais Colony Hospital (HCRP) in 1970. Her father, Manuel Almeida, had already been working at the Hospital for 25 years as a tailor, and it was he who insisted that she should come to work there as well: “I was 19 years old and it wasn’t allowed to enter at that age. It was rare for anyone to want to come to the hospital because of the fear of leprosy… But my father very much wanted me to come and work here and put pressure on me, saying: you’re coming with me and the salary you earn will be yours… My mother didn’t agree, but I took the opportunity and came as a seamstress. At the time it was a bit hard for me, but I stayed until I was 62…”

Mrs Idília admitted that the first days were difficult: “When I arrived I thought: oh my God, I’m not going to get used to this, because when I saw the patients I was in shock, I got chills seeing people with so many afflictions. And at that time they walked all around the grounds; it’s not like now, when they are almost always in the wards. Early in the morning they lined up at the gate. One day I came alone, because my father didn’t come to work that day, and a patient, Mr Abel, who didn’t know me, said to me: ‘Hey girl, are you new here in the cage?’ I was frightened; I had been working there for a short time and wasn’t prepared for those words. I told a nurse what had happened and he told me not to be afraid, explaining that there were days when he wasn’t well. He would go into the ditches, stop cars, tease us, and I began to be afraid. A year later, when my father passed away, my colleagues started waiting for me at the gate. They helped me in that way. They were all my friends.”

In the sewing service, which was located in the laundry, there were two tailors and eight seamstresses. They made clothes for the patients (shirts, trousers, blouses, skirts, long underwear) and uniforms for doctors and nurses. “There were no purchased clothes. Everything was made by us, even the sheets. The fabrics were chosen for their quality, then they went to tender and were acquired by price. They were ordered in large quantities. Winter coats were made of cheviot, trousers of twill, and shirts of unbleached cloth. We made large quantities—four shirts a day. The machines were electric, which was a great help. One seamstress would cut a large batch and then everyone would sew.” She recalls that at work “there were colleagues who were quicker and made the shirts faster (…) I was younger and slower. It was nice. We worked competitively!”

She also explained that there was a seamstress at the Preventorium, Mrs Dalila, and that she even went there to replace her during holidays.

After being made, the clothing produced at the Hospital was sent to the warehouse and from there distributed to the wards according to need.

At that time, she recalls, there was always a nun in charge of the services: “In the sewing room it was Sister Rosália, in the laundry Sister Marta, and in the kitchen Sister Maria.”

She goes on to say: “We earned 600$00. It was very little! But even so, we all went happily to the Conventinho. Mr Count was in charge of that service; he would phone and give the order for us to go and collect our pay. And we, in such poor times, would line up to receive the money, and since we bought things on credit, we would then go and pay the shopkeepers. I remember that on payday I went to the social services, where the staff canteen was, and with the little money I received I bought some biscuits and sweets. Payday was a joy, it was a celebration, even with how little we earned!”

Mrs Idília told us that the HCRP was a beautiful place and explained that “when we arrived, we heard music, because the patients would come out onto the verandas and make a celebration in the hospital. When we arrived in the morning, we could hear music (accordion or saxophone). I was delighted. We were young and we liked it…. It was good for the staff and for them too, because there were very young patients here!”

She also recounts that “later on, we lived alongside the patients as if they were members of our own family.” She spoke affectionately of the couple Leónia and Mr Cavaco, patients who lived in the Family Units until their deaths. She continued working after the Rovisco Pais Hospital was converted into the Rehabilitation Medicine Centre of the Central Region in 1996, and recalls that “at first there were many patients, then they gradually passed away and were gathered into a single pavilion. At that time there were fewer staff than there are now.”

Mrs Idília retired in 2013 and, in the final phase, she was already the only seamstress. Clothes were purchased, and she worked at the gatehouse, distributing them and making alterations when necessary. She shared: “I missed it in the first days I stayed at home. There was something missing…”

Reflecting on her time at the only institution where she ever worked, Mrs Idília emphasized that she completed forty-three years of service, one of them still alongside her father, and considers that: “our time here was beautiful; we found friendly people. It was as if it were a family!”

Text based on an oral testimony, recorded in 2022. Validated by the interviewee.
Interview and text by Cristina Nogueira – CulturAge.