Maureen Butterfield has been interviewed by Jennifer Hunt and has since agreed to place this interview in the public domain. Length of interview: 30 minutes.

Summary of interview: Maureen Butterfield – 7 June 2003.

In this interview, Maureen Butterfield tells how she first heard of the hospice ideal from a young nurse who was caring for her daughter, Frances. At that time, she did not understand what she heard but after Frances died, she visited St Christopher’s while staying with friends in the United Kingdom. On her return to Rhodesia (as Zimbabwe was then called) Maureen Butterfield attended a conference run by the Compassionate Friends and determined to found a hospice in her own country. She received strong support from her friend, John McMaster, who helped her to plan and establish Africa’s first hospice service. After seven years involvement, Maureen Butterfield then moved to South Africa and no longer has any ‘hands on’ experience. Nevertheless, she holds firmly to the belief that the value of the hospice approach is in the integration of the physical and psychological aspects of care, combined with good communication and a focus on both the patient and the family. In the context of a wounded and divided Africa, she considers this approach has a special appropriateness and lasting significance.