Dr Morris checking Muki Meltzer - one of the founding members of Eilat's tourism - with some of the new equipment under the watchful eye of Head Sister Ziporah.

In special memory of Dr. Reginald Morris

British born Reginald Morris – or Reggie as we knew him – arrived in Eilat with his wife Fay as tourists early in 1958. They made the long, then somewhat tortuous, drive by road in the station wagon with which they had set out from Manchester. Coming to Israel for a taste of that special entity which has brought innumerable people from around the globe and which, unplanned and unexpected, they found it in Eilat.

Eilat was in its childhood; the stark desert scenery, the blue waters of the Red Sea with its rich and fascinating underwater world, as well as the special and challenging atmosphere of the newly developing township. This remote and faraway corner of the country filled them both with the idea of escaping from the boredom of everyday life back in England and tasting something completely new and very challenging. In those days Eilat resembled the Wild West. But it was there they unloaded their cases, and there they stayed, both of them giving of themselves and proving that indeed they were something special. Over the years they became well-known (both nationally and internationally) and admired personalities for their work and their devotion to the town.

I want to take you back to those good old days and let you into some of those more personal scenes, for over the days since Reginald bid farewell to the world much has been written and publicized about him from the more formal point of view.

Eilat – August 1959. A jeep stops on a flat patch of stony sand in front of a newly constructed small apartment building – there stand only two three-story buildings, far from any other development in the town apart from the first Eilat Museum. One building is housing for residents – basic three-storied, three-roomed apartments - and the other planned as a small family hotel. To the east, a breathtaking view of the Red Sea, the Mountains of Edom and an unspoiled beach stretching towards the border with Aqaba and housing only one building - a Histadrut Holiday Club which was to become the Eilat Hotel, and on which spot stands the present Leonardo Plaza.

A figure appears on the balcony of a top floor corner apartment:

“I say – you aren’t thinking of buying one of these, are you?” - a very educated British accent.

“Yes, perhaps she is!” my mother replies squinting upwards into the blinding sun.

“Well, they’re bloody awful. Come up and I’ll give you a few hints.”

And up we climbed to have an initial meeting with Reggie and Fay who were to become my neighbors. As we left, after enjoying the shelter of the desert-cooled sitting room where we had sipped a cooling cocktail whilst listening to words of advice about settling in Eilat, my mother uttered a sigh of relief as she said, “At least you’ll have some nice, educated neighbors, “That is if you insist on this marriage!”

So it was – we became neighbors and close friends. Until that time the majority of pregnant women and the seriously ill were sent up North for birth care and treatment. Any urgent medical care was provided by army doctors, but at last the Eilat Medical Center was finally opened and Reggie was put in charge of it. This small hospital provided mother and child care, oversaw the provision of school medicine and provided public health instruction. The center started with only five employees but over the years was enlarged and developed into a cottage hospital. On Reggie’s insistence, standards were set, qualified staff hired and all necessary equipment were installed. As Eilat grew and the requirements of medical care increased, Reggie and those in power both in Eilat and beyond eventually succeeded in reaching the goal of a brand new hospital – Yoseftal in 1968.

In those early days Fay gave lectures on Child Birth without Fear which were both instructive and fun, preparing us for natural birth whenever possible. In fact, Reggie and Fay delivered my first child – and succeeded in actually making it enjoyable. How well I remember that first tiny and basic delivery room. There was a kibbutz-like quality to life in Eilat. We formed a closely knit group of English speaking immigrants and introduced a taste of the West. Fay and Reggie’s afternoon tea gatherings were famous; often attended by eminent actors such as David Niven, Peter Ustinov, Ursula Andres and Burt Lancaster. Those were the days of international film-making in the desert surroundings, and none other than our Dr. Morris attended to any medical needs. Other celebratory meals were shared, such as Reggie’s “Blanquette de Veau” dinner for the hospital doctors who were not on duty. Our readers surely know this dish, but Reggie had a surprise up his sleeve. In came the fragrant, steaming pan - portions were carefully ladled out and passed around the table, spoons and forks were lifted – but could they cut into the so called veal. Of course not – it was not veal, but old hospital blankets, cut up and plunged into the rich gravy. And of course Fay had some of the proper stuff back in the kitchen to be enjoyed once the laughter died down.

The English speakers formed the initial members of the WIZO branch that Fay founded, and in which she invested much effort and many years. Eilat’s first fashion show for the local WIZO group was staged in the first proper cinema to be opened there, and through their contacts, Gottex's latest swimwear arrived and was shown to a full house. Also enjoyed was a monthly English play reading at which personal interpretations from the Morris’s caused many laughs.

We were always there for one another in that very special and then remote zone of Israel - in births, in times of enjoyment, periods of fear, occasions of sadness and of mourning. Theirs was, is and will be a special home full of love, fun and understanding. Now Fay remains – but not alone - her memories being enriched and strengthened by the love and attention of her children and grandchildren.

May you rest in peace Reggie dear.