M o l l y L e v y T r i b u t e I n M e m o r i a m A TRIBUTE TO MOLLY LEVY FROM THE SOUTH A f r i c a n S o c i e t y f o r P h y s i o t h e r a p i s t s K a te M o lly L e v y (n e e L im e ric k ) b e g an he r life w o rk w ith the S o c ie ty in F eb ru a ry 1948, w h en she jo in e d th e th e n C e n tr a l E x e c u tiv e C o m m itte e o f the S o u th A frican S o c ie ty o f P h y sio th e ra p is ts , h a v ­ in g p r e v io u s ly ru n a p r iv a te p r a c tic e a n d ta u g h t at the U n iv e rs ity o f the W itw a te rsra n d S c h o o l o f P h y sio th e ra p y fo r a n u m b e r o f y e a rs. In 1949 she b e c a m e A s s is ta n t G e n e r a l S e c re ta ry , c h a n g in g to H o n o ra ry G e n e ra l S e c re ta ry in 1955, this be in g the y e a r in w h ich th e new C o n s titu tio n w a s a d o p te d an d th e S o c ie ty first had an ac tiv e C h a irm a n w ith th e fo r m a t o f V ice P r e s id e n ts an d d if f e r e n t b ran c h es. M o lly serv ed as F irst V ice- C h a irm a n fro m 1969 un til 1973, an d N a tio n a l C h a ir m a n fro m 1973 un til 1979 w h en sh e w as e le c te d P re sid e n t. F ro m 1973 u n til 1978 sh e se rv e d as a m e m b e r and Vice C h a ir m a n o f th e P r o f e s s io n a l B o a rd fo r P h y s io th e r a p y , b e c o m in g C h a ir m a n o f th e B oard in 1978, a p o s itio n she h eld un til 1988. C o n c o m ita n t w ith th e se p o s itio n s, M o lly w as the v o tin g d e le g a te o f th e S A S P at th e W orld C o n fe d e ra tio n o f P h y sic al T h e ra p y fro m 1959 until 1974, w h en sh e b e c a m e a m e m b e r o f the E x e c u tiv e C o m m itte e o f W C P T , a p o s i­ tio n h eld until 1978. In 1987, an e p o n y m o u s M o lly L ev y L e c tu re w as in stitu te d by th e S o c ie ty in re c o g n itio n o f the u n iq u e c o n trib u tio n sh e h ad m a d e to the p h y sio th e ra p y p ro ­ fessio n. M o lly d e v o te d h e rs e lf to the d e v e lo p ­ m e n t o f h er p ro fe s s io n , r e c o g n is in g that th e road to e x c e lle n c e re q u ire d a so u n d o rg a n isa tio n a l in fra s tru c tu re to p ro m o te , se c u re and sa fe g u a rd h ig h e d u c a tio n a l an d c lin ic a l s ta n d a rd s. In d o in g so. sh e w o rk e d full tim e in an h o n o ra ry c a p a c ity as g e n e ra l s ecreta ry . A s C h a irm a n she sp en t e v e ry d a y at the o ffic e , c o n tin u in g to d o s o w h e n sh e b e c a m e P re s id e n t an d the C h a ir w a s o c c u p ie d by c h a irm e n h o ld in g full tim e U n iv e rs ity o r H o sp ita l a p p o in tm e n ts . F o r this total in v o lv e m e n t sh e re c e iv e d a m o d e st h o n o ra riu m to c o v e r in c id en ta l e x p e n s e s ; o n ly in th e l a t ­ ter y e ars w a s sh e r e -im b u rs e d for travel e x p e n s e s in c u rre d in r e p re s e n tin g the S o c ie ty n a tio n a lly o r in te rn a tio n a lly . S h e g a v e u n stin tin g ly o f h e rse lf, an d e x p e c t­ ed th o ro u g h n e ss an d a tte n tio n to d e tail fro m o th e rs. B y o b s e rv in g p ro to c o l and c o rre c t p ro c e d u re s fo r fo rm al m e e tin g s sh e p re p a re d us for p a rtic ip a tio n in a c tiv ­ ities to d e v e lo p o u r p ro fe s s io n , an d in fu tu re n e g o tia tio n s a ffe c tin g o u r p ro fe s ­ sio n in the field o f h e alth care. B y e n c o u ra g in g an d f a c ilita t­ ing le c tu re to u rs by p ro m in e n t o v e rs e a s p h y s io th e r a p is ts she e n s u re d c o n tin u in g e d u c a tio n in c lin ic a l an d e d u c a tio n a l field s, th r o u g h o u t th e y e a rs o f n a tio n al iso la tio n . H e r c o n sta n t c o n c e r n w a s th a t th e s m a ll b ra n c h e s not be n e g le c te d . S he w a s d e te r m in e d to h a v e all p h y s i o t h e r a p i s t s in v o lv e d in th e ir p ro fe s s io n a l S o c iety , and to th is en d e s ta b lis h e d th e N a tio n a l C o m m itte e o f R e p r e s e n t a t i v e s , w h ic h m e t tw ic e yearly. M o lly is r e m e m b e r e d by th o s e w h o w o rk e d w ith h e r fo r h e r in te g rity , e x a c titu d e , k n o w le d g e an d w is d o m . S h e ad d e d a n o th e r d im e n s io n to o u r liv e s in le a d in g us to p r o f e s ­ s io n a l in d e p e n d e n c e ; lo n g b e fo re a d m in is tra tio n an d m a n ­ a g e m e n t b e c a m e b u z z w o rd s, sh e w as p u ttin g th e m in to p r a c ­ tis e in th e r u n n in g o f th e S o c ie ty an d in th e e s ta b lis h ­ m e n t o f th e P ro fe s sio n a l B oard. S h e w as a su b tle , a s tu te p o liti­ c ia n , a c h a rm in g , w ily n e g o tia ­ to r w h en a d v a n c in g o u r in te r ­ ests. D u rin g th e y e ars o f n a tio n a l is o la ­ tio n it w as M o lly ’s w id e frie n d s h ip s , stro n g in flu e n c e , an d th e e s te e m in w h ich s h e w a s h e ld by p h y s i o t h e r a p i s t s th ro u g h o u t the w o rld w h ic h e n s u re d that the S o c ie ty w a s not e x p e lle d fro m the W o rld C o n f e d e r a tio n fo r P h y s ic a l T h erap y . M o lly w a s a m u lti-d im e n s io n a l p e rso n to w h o m h e r fam ily w a s all im p o rta n t. In sh a rin g the w o rld o f h er fam ily , w e in the S o c ie ty w e re e n ric h e d in m a n y w a y s. We w ish to a c k n o w le d g e o u r in d e b te d n e s s an d e x p re ss o u r g ra titu d e to th e m fo r the m an y y e a rs o f sh a rin g . M o lly w a s o u r c o lle a g u e , te a c h e r , frie n d an d m en to r. W e r e m e m b e r h e r w ith a d m ira tio n , g r a titu d e , and m u c h a ffectio n . SA J o u r n a l o f Ph y s io t h e r a p y 1998 V o l 54 No 2 3 R ep ro du ce d by S ab in et G at ew ay u nd er li ce nc e gr an te d by th e P ub lis he r (d at ed 2 01 3. ) M o l l y L e v y T r i b u t e M o l l y L e v y a n d t h e W o r l d C o n f e d e r a t i o n f o r P h y s i c a l T h e r a p y Wh en I w en t to m y first W C P T m eetin g , in 1987, I d isco v ered th a t to m o st o f the m e m b e rs o f W C PT, M o lly L e v y w as the S A S P and the S A S P w as M o lly Levy. S h e m u st su rely h av e b een , o v er the early y ears o f W C PT, o ne o f the b est-lo v ed re p re se n ta ­ tiv es at the G en eral M eetin g s o f the w o rld body. T h is is h a rd ly su rprisin g. S he w as there w ith Jea n B la ir at the in a u ­ g u ral m eeting o f the W C PT, at w h ich S o u th A fric a b ecam e o ne o f the fo u n d er m e m bers. Sou th A frica w as rep resen ted o n the E x e c u tiv e C o m m ittee o f W C P T fro m 1963 u n til 1970, and alth o u g h it w as Jea n B la ir w h o w as T h ird Vice- P re sid e n t fro m 1 967-1970, it w as v ery o fte n M o lly w h o re p re se n te d the S A S P at G en eral m e etin g s, w h o w o u ld g iv e a re sp e c te d o p in io n an d w h o se h u m o u r cam e to the fo re o n ce the b u sin ess o f the d ay w as over. W h e n w e tra v e lle d to g e th e r to m y first W C P T m e etin g in A u stra lia in 1987, h u m o u r w as n o t in the air. S w ed en w as callin g fo r o u r ex p u lsio n fro m the w o rld b o d y and w e h ad b een called to ap p e ar b e fo re a d is c ip lin a ry h e a rin g o f the E x e c u tiv e C o m m itte e . M o l l y ’s c a lm a p p raisal o f the facts and reaso n ed d is p o ­ sition w o n the day, and w h en she left m e to d efen d S o u th A fric a tw o d ay s later at the G en eral m eetin g I had th e co n fid en c e to do so, k n o w in g th a t she h ad ta u g h t m e w ell. B e tw e e n th o s e tw o m e e tin g s , h u m o u r co u ld o n ce ag ain em erg e - and em erg e it d id at a ro u sin g A u stralian e v e n in g h o s te d b y th e A u s tra lia n P h y s io th e ra p y A s s o c ia tio n , at w h ic h M o lly sq u are -d an ced w ith the b e st o f them , to the d e lig h t o f h e r o ld frien d s fro m m an y co un tries. M o lly ’s last W C P T M eetin g w as the S pecial m e etin g in L o n d o n in 1988 - a m e etin g m a d e n ecessary b ecau se som e co u n trie s h ad b o y c o tte d th e 1987 m e e t­ ing d ue to o u r p resen ce. In 1988 w e fin a l­ ly w o n the su p p o rt o f the o th e r m em ber- o rg an isatio n s, an d M o lly b o w e d o u t o f the intern atio n al scene. W e m issed her p re sen ce in L o n d o n in 1991 - w e no lo n g e r h ad o u r m e n to r an d g u id e an d h ad to stan d on o u r o w n feet. I m issed h e r e v en m o re in W a sh in g to n in 1995, w h en the ev en in g o f lin e-d an cin g b ro u g h t b ack m e m o rie s o f h e r k ic k in g h e r h e e ls a m o n g st the straw b ales o f the dance flo o r in A u stralia. T h a n k you M o lly - fo r e n su rin g that S o u th A fric a to o k its p la c e am o n g st the m e m b e r-o rg a n is a tio n s o f W C P T , fo r en su rin g th a t th o se o f u s w h o fo llo w ed you h ad a so u n d g ro u n d in g , an d fo r m a k ­ ing it all fun. SHEENA IRW IN -CARRU TH ERS M a r g a r e t B e a t t i e : C h a i r m a n - P r o f e s s i o n a l B o a r d I learn ed to k n o w M o lly L ev y w h en I b e g a n s e rv in g o n the N a tio n a l E x ecutive C o m m ittee o f the South A fric a n S o c ie ty o f P h y s io th e ra p is ts (SA SP) in the m id sixties. In 1967 we a tte n d e d the W C P T c o n g re ss in M elbo urn e, A u stralia a n d it w as there that I w itnessed the resp ect that the w orld p h y sio th erap y co m m u n ity h ad fo r M olly. M o lly w as th e re to h elp m e in this u n k n o w n w o rld an d after co ng ress and som e trav ellin g in A u stralia, M o lly an d I m et u p fo r a few days in Syd ney p rio r to the long fligh t hom e. M y task is to w rite ab o u t M o lly and h er associatio n w ith and w o rk carried o u t on the P ro fessio n al B o ard o f P hysiotherapy. T he Society cam paig ned v ig o ro u sly to h ave a p ro fessio n a l b oard established and M o lly serv ed o n th e S u p p le m e n ta ry H e a lth S e rv ic e s c o m m itte e o f the M edical an d D en tal C o un cil for m any y ears p rio r to the esta b lish m en t o f a B o a rd fo r P h y sio th e ra p y . T h e first P rofession al B o ard w as esta b lish e d after th e d u e v o tin g p ro c e s s e s , in 1973. P h y sio th erap y w as the first B o ard co n sti­ tuted. M olly serv ed as v ice-ch airperso n on this B o ard and Jea n B la ir w as the chairperson. T he aim s o f this first B o ard w ere to g et co m p ulso ry re g istratio n o f all p h y s io th e ra p is ts p ra c tis in g in S o u th A frica (before this, reg istratio n w ith the South A frican and M edical an d D ental C o uncil (S A M D C ) w as on a v oluntary b asis). It w as also to establish a g azetted S c o p e o f P h y s io th e ra p y u n d e r the S A M D C le g is la tio n o f th e co un try. Initially only certain areas and m a g ister ial districts o f the co un try co u ld be p ro ­ claim ed as areas in w h ich p h y sio th e r apists p ra ctisin g h ad to be reg istered and it w as only in the early eig hties that it b ecam e co m p ulso ry for all p h y sio th e r apists w o rk in g in Sou th A frica to be re g ­ istered. D u rin g the secon d an d third ten ures o f the P ro fessio n al B o ard, 1978 to 1988, M o lly w as elected as ch airp e rso n o f the B o ard and firstly M arg a ret E m slie and then I serv ed as v ice-ch airperso n. M olly w o rk ed tirelessly in this cap acity and m any inn o v atio n s w ere b ro u g h t to the P ro fessio n al B o ard d uring tho se years. T he p rin cip le o f m a in ten an c e o f stan ­ d ards by the inspectio n o f trainin g and the g a z e ttin g o f re g is tra b le q u a lific a tio n s w ere am o n g st the m ajo r tasks achieved d u rin g the early years. T h e p ro cesses o f the institu tio n o f d isciplinary p ro ced ures w e re a lso in s titu te d an d te s te d an d inro ad s m a d e into the e sta b lish m en t and im p lem en tatio n o f eth ical co des o f p ra c ­ tice. In all, an ex cellen t fo u n d atio n w as laid in these first y ears o f the ex isten c e o f the P ro fessio n al B oard. A t th e M e d ic a l C o u n c il m e e tin g s M olly, as ch airp erso n o f the B o ard, p re ­ sen ted the rep o rt o f the activ ities o f the B o ard d uring that p artic u lar period. T his also g av e h er the o pp ortun ity to m eet m any h ealth p ro fessio n a l co lleagu es and to n etw o rk ex tensiv ely w ith these co l­ leagues. In this cap acity she w as h ig hly esteem ed an d resp ected . W h e n I o cca­ sio nally sto o d in for h er at su ch a m eeting I w as o v erw h elm e d by the n u m b e r o f m edical colleagu es ask ing after h e r and singing h e r praises. It g av e m e a w arm g lo w and a prid e in o u r p ro fessio n. O v er the years I serv ed on m a n y co m ­ m ittees w ith M olly an d re m e m b e r h er for alw ay s b e in g 120% p re p a re d fo r the m eeting s an d fo r w o rk in g b e h in d the sc e n e s to e n s u re th e y flo w e d m o re sm oothly, y et firm ly ex p ressed the p ro ­ fe ss io n ’s p o in t o f view. S he also h ad the ab ility to in ject h u m o u r to lig h ten up the p ro ceedin gs. S he stro n g ly su p p o rted the p ro fessio n on the m any co m m ittees on w h ich she serv ed , at the sam e tim e co n ­ veyin g a p ro fessio n a l y et fem in in e im age. 1 w ill alw ay s re m em b er M o lly as b eing eth ical in all h e r d e alin g s, an d fo r w o rk ­ ing so tirelessly fo r the p h y sio th e rap y p ro fessio n (and p utting it on the m edical m ap). I w ill also rem em b er h er fo r w rit­ ing thank you letters co n v ey in g the right m essag e so p ro m p tly an d so efficiently, fo r b eing a g raciou s h ostess an d fo r acting w ith d eco ru m an d dignity. 1 co nsid er m y se lf p riv ile g ed to have k no w n M olly, to h av e w o rk e d w ith her an d to h av e h ad a co lleag u e w h o d id so m u ch to p ro m o te the im ag e an d stan din g o f the p h y sio th e rap y p ro fessio n in the m e d ical w o rld in S ou th A frica. I w ill m iss h e r and co nv ey m y sy m p a­ th ie s to h e r fam ily , frie n d s an d c o l­ leagues. M A RG A R ET BEATTIE 4 SA J o u r n a l o f Ph ysio th er a p y 1998 V o l 54 No 2 R ep ro du ce d by S ab in et G at ew ay u nd er li ce nc e gr an te d by th e P ub lis he r (d at ed 2 01 3. ) M o l l y L e v y T r i b u t e M o l l y L e v y ’s F a m i l y M e m b e r s Th e S o u th A fric a n S o c ie ty o f P hysiotherapy and our lives h ave b een intertw ined for so m any years that it is hard to recall a tim e w hen they w ere not. W e, as a fam ily, lived in the w orld o f physiotherapy, a w orld o f w hich w e h a v e m a n y w o n d erfu l and h ap p y m em ories. M o lly ’s d ed ica tio n to p h y sio th e rap y an d to the S o u th A frican S o c ie ty o f Physiotherapy, in particular, (the “ Physio S o ciety ” as it w as fondly called) inspired us as a fam ily and w e all b ecam e involved to som e extent in her activities as a m e m ­ ber, Secretary, O verseas R epresentative, C h airm an and P resid ent o f the Society. B rid g et and C olin could p robably say “p h y sio th erap y ” b efore they could walk! W e recall how the Society functioned from our h o m e in tho se v ery early days. S om e o f the N atio nal E x ecutive m eetings too k p lace around o u r d in ing roo m table and all the office eq uipm ent, including a v e ry te m p e ra m e n ta l o ld d u p lic a tin g m achin e, w as k ept in o u r study. Jim m y w as frequently called upon to fix the d up licatin g m achin e - a very inky, dirty task! T he children rem em b er having to collate pages and p ages o f p apers for council m eetings, by w alking endlessly round the d in ing room table. In those d ays the S ociety staff consisted o f a part-tim e ty p ist/se c re ta ry , E d n a C a rro ll, w h o is today still a close fam ily friend. Later, the Society acquired a room in the offices o f the N atio nal C o uncil for the C a re o f C rip p le s in E to n R o ad , Jo han n esb urg and slow ly the beginnings o f a p ro per secretariat developed. T he fam ily often helped d uring tim es o f crisis, such as the establishm en t o f a card index s y ste m fo r m e m b e rs o f the S ociety. B rid g et rem em b ers sitting on the floor for hours on end sorting o ut little piles o f cards! T he long-serving office secretary, Jea n W ells b ecam e a friend o f the fam ily and k e p t to u c h e v e n afte r sh e left Johannesburg. O u r w id e r fam ily , to o , w ere m u ch in v o lv e d in the p ro fe ss io n . T w o o f M o lly ’s sisters-in-law , H elen and R uth L im erick , w ere both p ractising p h y sio ­ therapists. D u rin g the tim e th a t M olly le c ­ tu re d at the U n iv e rs ity o f th e W itw atersran d , h e r n ie ce, Jill, trained there as a p hy siotherapist. M o lly w as well k no w n in our co m m u n ity and, for several years, she ran a successful p riv ate practice from hom e. O ne o f the b onuses that w e as a fam ily h ad fro m M o lly ’s in v o lv em e n t in the S ociety w as the h o st o f w o nd erful people w e m et, m an y o f w h o m b ecam e d ear fam ­ ily friends. W e think esp ecially o f Jean B lair, E lizabeth B o tting, M argaret E m slie, H azel B aines, L ois D y er - peop le w ho spent m an y happ y h o u rs in our hom e. T here w ere so m any o ccasio ns w hen we en tertained physiotherapists fro m all parts o f the co un try and the g lo be - M olly was alw ays the p erfect h ostess and her doo r w as alw ays open. Jim m y often referred to the S ociety as “his fav ou rite ch arity ” ! M olly was instru m en tal in o rganising visits fro m overseas physiotherapists w ho cam e to lecture and p resen t courses in this country. T hey alw ays spent the first few d a y s w ith us, fin d in g th e ir feet. We rem em b er the k in dly M aria E bner, the e ffic ie n t M iss N ie ls e n , th e v iv a c io u s M argaret L ist (w ho d id h and stan ds on the lou ng e carpet after a few co cktails one evening!), the gentle Jo an C ress w ell (who w as so good to us on a retu rn visit to A ustralia), the elu sive P rofessor R o od t (w ho rushed us all o ver C aliforn ia during a v is it th e re ), th e c h a rm in g B a rb a ra Sutcliffe (w ho entertained us freq uen tly in L o n d o n ) an d th e p ro fe ss io n a l G e o ff M aitland (w ho h osted us to a w onderful ev en in g in A delaide). A s the O verseas Voting D eleg ate for the Society, M o lly trav elled o v erse as fre ­ quen tly to congresses. W e w ere so often at the receiv ing end o f w o nd erful h ospitality fro m physiotherapists w ho h ad b een to S outh A frica o r w h om M olly had m e t at congresses. D u rin g o ne visit to L ondon, M olly w as invited to a function to be attended by the Q ueen. W e anticipated this visit for m any m onths p rio r to its o ccu rrence and jo k e d frequently o f the c u c u m b e r sa n d w ic h e s th a t w o u ld no d o u b t be served (and w h ich w ere served). W e d ined o ut on this story for m any years! T h e frien d sh ip s w h ich M olly d eveloped w ith m a n y in flu e n tia l p h y sio th e rap ists thro ug ho ut the w orld stood the Society in good stead d u rin g the ap artheid years w h en the Society w as in real dang er o f b eing iso lated fro m the p h y sio th erap y w orld. W e rem em ber, too, her k een in v o lv e­ m e n t in the P ro fe s s io n a l B o a rd fo r P hy sioth erap y - h ow hard she fou gh t for its establishm en t and the hou rs she spent n urturin g it. She w as n ev e r m o re proud than w h en she attended the Inaug ural m eeting o f that b od y and later w h en she b ecam e its C hairm an. W e, as a fam ily, b asked in the glo ry o f M o lly ’s achiev em en ts w ithin the w orld o f phy siotherapy and in p articu lar w ithin the Sou th A frican Society o f P hysiotherapy. W e h av e alw ays b een so proud o f her - fro m h e r e le c tio n to th e E x e c u tiv e C om m ittee o f the W orld C onfed eration o f P h y s io th e ra p y to b e c o m in g th e first P hy sioth erap ist P resid ent o f the Society, to b eing m a d e H onorary L ife P resid ent an d to b e in g h o n o u re d w ith an E po ny m o us L ecture. F o r us, these w ere m o re than her person al ach iev em en ts - they em braced the w h ole fam ily. Th e loss o f M olly Levy, m y friend o f fifty years, is a sad loss to all p hys­iotherapists. She was p art o f the group o f dedicated physiotherapists (which included Jean Blair, Elizabeth Botting, F red Rothberg and me, am ong others) w ho fought for a high standard in the teaching o f p hysiotherapists and recog­ n ition o f our profession. F o r m any years, she had the thank­ less jo b o f Secretary o f the S.A.S.P. and later becam e C hairm an and finally, President. She was also elected to our first Professional Board. She attended m any international co n ­ gresses and was a great PRO , making friends for us with m any overseas p h y s­ io th erap ists. H er sen se o f h um our, w arm th and enjoym ent o f life endeared her to m any people. H ow fortunate we are that you were w ith us during those tim es o f battle. We will m iss you greatly, d ear Molly. O u r d e e p e st sym pathy g oes to M o lly ’s v ery su p p o rtiv e husband Jimmy, daughter B ridget, and son Colin and his family. H er fam ily mem bers alm ost becam e “honorary physios”. M A R G A R E T E M S L IE A TRIBUTE TO MRS M LEVY ‘The president o f the C ouncil and the Chairm an and m em bers o f the Professional Board for Physiotherapy, as well as m em bers o f the C o un cil’s staff are saddened by her death. M olly Levy made a great contribution towards the activities o f the Professional Board for Physiotherapy during the period from 1973 to 1988 and particularly from 1978 to 1988 when she was C hairm an o f the Board. In that capacity she represented the board on the South African M edical and D ental Council with distinction. We rem em ber her with fondness and respect and pray that her husband, children and fam ily will be strengthened during their days o f b ereavem ent.’ J H COETZER SA J o u r n a l o f Ph y sio t h e r a p y 1998 V o l 54 No 2 5 R ep ro du ce d by S ab in et G at ew ay u nd er li ce nc e gr an te d by th e P ub lis he r (d at ed 2 01 3. )