Australian Nurses at War - Albany Mon 11 Mar 2013 – Sun 28 Apr 2013 10:00am – 4:30pm Museum of the Great Southern The involvement of Australian women as nurses in war began in 1898 with the formation of the Australian Nursing Service of New South Wales, from which sixty nurses served in the Boer War. Since the time of the Boer War, Australian nurses have served by caring for the sick and wounded in every conflict to which Australia has committed troops. This small exhibition is a tribute to those women who have dealt face-to-face with war - the sick, the wounded and the dead. Those who served close to the battlefield experienced at first hand not only the discomforts of makeshift field hospitals, including mud, dust, bad food, and lack of normal amenities, but also the risks and horrors of war. Many army nurses sacrificed their health and well-being in the service of Australia. Some sacrificed their lives. More recent conflicts have seen the gender based boundaries blur. These days, there are few jobs within Australia's armed services that are not open to women. Female soldiers are also commonplace and it is not unusual to see male nurses and female doctors working together on military missions, such as when the Australian military provided support to victims of the December 2004 tsunami in Indonesia. This tribute to Australian Nurses in War has been developed by the passion that one woman has to tell the nurses stories. Enid Home, herself a nurse, was married to Major Arthur Home of the 13th Australian General Hospital. It was many of his nurses or ‘his girls’ as he referred to them, who were aboard the ill fated Vyner Brooke that left Singapore as the Japanese entered. Key stories included in this exhibition include: The Boer War Nurses WW1 – Lemnos Island (casualties from Gallipoli Peninsula) WW2 Nurses- Africa campaign The Vyner Brooke story and Banka island massacre– fall of Singapore 1942. Sister Vivian Bullwinkle\ The sinking of the’ Centaur’, hospital ship. Sister Ellen Savage Korean and Vietnam Nurses A free exhibition. Open ANZAC Day 1.00pm – 4.30pm. For centuries Australian nurses have dealt face-to-face with war. Image courtesy of the WA Museum Getting Here Address Museum of the Great Southern Residency Road, Albany, Western Australia, 6330, Australia Phone (08) 9841 4844 By Bus The Museum of the Great Southern is located within walking distance of the town centre, which is serviced by the several bus services, visit the PTA website for timetables. By Car Parking is available in onsite.