Joan grew quite accustomed to the hospital ghosts when she worked the night shifts at the Ryde. Now retired from nursing, Joan remembers how the doors to the children's ward would suddenly swing open and a cold draught of air would "swish"past the startled nurses keeping watch over the sleeping children.

Five minutes later those doors would open again as the phantom nurse finished her inspection of the ward and left - but this time the doors swung outwards, Joan recalled.

"The story behind one of the ghosts was that she was a dedicated nurse who had committed suicide after a child in her care died. She continued to walk the wards even after death to look after the sick babies and children," Joan said.

The hospital ghosts were an accepted fact of life; when she first joined the staff of Ryde hospital, one Sister told Joan, "You will probably hear all kinds of strange noises down here, but don't worry, it is only the friendlies."

Joan never was worried by her experiences there. "The ghosts moved around in the dead of night disturbing and hurting no one; I believe they were just looking after the patients as always"