Mrs
Bijou Edith Ernestine Bidwell Nee Peters 1927 – 2014
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| Bijou Peters (Photo credit: Gamcotrap) |
Bijou Edith Ernestine Bidwell Nee Peters was the
eldest daughter of the late Mr Lenrie Peters and Mrs Kezia (Broderick) Peters
of Bathurst (now Banjul), The Gambia.
She was born on the 29th of
March 1927 in Freetown, Sierra Leone and educated in her school days at St.
Mary’s Anglican Primary School and Methodist Girls High School, under the
educationist Mrs Norah Senior, MBE and missionary from Somerset, UK. She was
Head Girl and passed the senior Cambridge School Certificate Exam.
She died on February 12, 2014 at 86 years of age.
Prayers where held at St. Paul’s Parish Church, Fajara and buried at the Banjul
Cemetery on Monday, March 3, 2014.
Bijou Peters, as she was widely known, chose nursing
as a career and in order to pursue it, she studied at Bristol Royal Infirmary
and Kings College Hospital where she became a state registered nurse (S.R.N)
and then a state certified midwife (S.C.M).
In 1955 she was appointed Nursing Sister at the
Royal Victoria Hospital (now Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital), Banjul
and later transferred to Basse URD (now URR) as sister. She returned to UK
after marriage in order to do a course in Public Health (Community) Nursing.
Aunty Bijou married Dr Ernest Bidwell M.R.C.P in
September 1956 and had two daughters, Alaphia and Oremie. She accompanied her
husband as the WHO Representative to Mali, Nigeria, Dahomey, (now Benin) and
Geneva. Aunty Bijou often described nursing as ‘her life,’ she was also
passionate about and loved her garden, gardening and dogs. Ill health and age
sadly stopped her from looking after her dogs and garden, particularly her
anthurium.
Since her return to Banjul after living in Geneva
for several years, Aunty Bijou took up journalism following a correspondence
course at The London School of Journalism. She wrote prolifically for several
of the Gambian newspapers including The Point and Daily Observer. In her
writing she fought injustice and stood up for the underdog, she championed
causes she believed in and sought to increase awareness on them. She discovered
new and stimulating horizons and achieved self-fulfillment. She wrote under her
maiden name and realized that she could use her pen to express injustice and
seek welfare for the marginalised. She was truly fearless in confronting
authority in both Church and State.
One of her concerns was the work and belief of
GAMCOTRAP; she joined them in their fight to eradicate harmful traditional
practices, such as FGM. As an advisor she sat on the board of the organisation
for many years even travelling with the group to Ethiopia in the early days to
attend international meetings on the subject. Here she saw graphic footage and
heard from women who had suffered horrific experiences and the problems they
have for years to come medically and psychologically. She remained dedicated to
this charity and its work over the years, even getting one of her daughters
very interested in the cause. They will surely miss their avid supporter.
She single-handedly at first, raised awareness of
the plight of a young girl with third degree burns who otherwise might have
died or remained handicapped with arms stuck to her body. With great
determination she found sponsors (including surgeons) in the UK to bring relief
to the girl who today is a young attractive woman in Lamin able to look after herself.
Bijou Peters was a great supporter of the Gambia
Press Union and counsellor of young journalists.
Aunty Bijou was a committed Christian, a born and
bred Anglican but a practicing ecumenist. She regularly worshipped at Bakau
Methodist Church and had keen interest in Pentecostal Churches. Many years
before she herself found complete healing for her acute vertigo through the
prayers of two pastors of the Deeper Life Ministry, after conventional treatment
from Geneva and Freetown failed to cure her. She was also a keen member of a
Christian based group of women – Women at The Well.
From a shy and withdrawn young but self-willed
woman, Aunty Bijou had developed into an activist with a wide agenda for putting
things right everywhere! It was only ill health that slowed her down, and
brought her good work to an end! She will be greatly missed by her family and
wide circle of friends.
Aunty Bijou is survived by her two daughters,
Alaphia and Oremie, the last of her siblings, Aunty Florence, cousins, nieces
and nephews.
Source: The Voice
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