Polio oral history project: Gina Allan Evans

An interview, recorded as part of the Dunedin Public Libraries' oral history project on the effects on the Dunedin community of poliomyelitis outbreaks in the 1940s and 1950s. Interviewee is Gina Allan Evans, who contracted polio at the age of nine and has clear memories of being hospitalised in Auckland and her treatment subsequently. Gina's experience is quite different from those who were able to attend the Duncan Hospital in Whanganui for treatment. By contrast, Gina spent long periods isolated from friends and family in a small room in Auckland hospital. She had no visits from family or friends and as a result became a quiet, introverted child. In this interview, Gina talks about her childhood, rehabilitation through painful dance exercises, how she has lived with the after-effects of polio, and latterly how she has been affected by post-polio syndrom. Gina also compares the polio epidemic in New Zealand with the current COVID pandemic. A transcript of this interview is available by following the link (manuscript) with this entry. RECORDING IDENTIFICATION This is an interview with Gina Allan Evans on 28th September 2022, and the interview started at 2pm. The interview is for the Dunedin Public Libraries' He Purapura Marara Scattered Seeds Digital Archive Polio Oral History Project. The Interviewer is Kay Mercer. The interview was conducted via Zoom.The interview was recorded using the Zoom in-house recorder, and the audio was subsequently recorded to a WAV file for archive purposes.