Vivian Bullwinkel (Mrs Frank Statham), matron of Fairfield Hospital since 1961, is to retire after sixteen years. Born in Kapunda, South Australia, Vivian did her training at the Broken Hill District Hospital from 1934-39, moving on to a private hospital in Hamilton, the Jessie McPherson Hospital, Melbourne, after graduation. She served with the 13th Australian General Hospital, Australian Imperial Force, from 1941 in Singapore and Johore Bahru. Vivian was the sole survivor of the [Banka Island Massacre], followed by three years as a prisoner of war in Sumatra and Banka Island. After the war Vivian was the matron of Heidelberg General Hospital from 1956-60. In 1963 she became trustee for the National War Memorial, Canberra, and was appointed deputy principal commandant of the Australian Red Cross Society.A newspaper clipping consisting of titles, four columns of text and a black and white photo of a middle aged woman outside a building.ww2, wwii, world war two, vivian st, vivian statham, perth, 13th agh, aif, army nurses, vyner brooke, banka strait, banka straits, florence night, florence nightingale medal

Nursing a memory Several of the nurse survivors of the Banka Straits tragedy share their stories and personal recollections of the war. Some nurses wrote books, some talk about staying optimistic while being POWs, others say they've never stopped being stunned by the war years. Fifty years after the Banka Straits tragedy and the years the POWs spent in camps in Sumatra, the poignancy has not been dulled, and has been etched into the memories of the nurses who survived. Betty Jeffery, now in her 80's, says that despite the hardships she faced, it change her life for the better. When the ship, the Vyner Broooke, was bombes she was in the water for seventy hours. In the POW camps they slept on concrete floors and starved as food was allowed to rot just out of reach. The nurses that endured so much together have stayed in touch. Betty has also written a highly successful book, 'White Coolies', based on diaries of her experience. Of all the nurses Vivian Bullwinkel is the most celebrated, her story being one of ultimate survival. One of a group of about 100 survivors after the sinking of the Vyner Brooke, she and the others thought the Japanese wouldn't kill such a large number when they surrendered to them. The Australian soldiers were bayonetted, the nurses and civilians were lined up in the sea and shot. Vivian played dead. A tribute to Aussie courage A brief recounting of the sinking of the Vyner Brooke and the survivors' three and a half years as prisoners of war of the Japanese. Of the sixty-five who attempted to evacuate Singapore on the Vyner Brooke, twenty-four made it home to Australia. A memorial to the brave Australian nurses has been organised to ensure their contribution is remembered forever.A large newspaper clipping consisting of two stories with titles and four columns of text each. The larger story also has two black and white photos, on of an older woman holding a book, and the other of two young women leaning in toward each otherww2, wwii, world war two, vivian statham, 13th agh, aif, army nurses, vyner brooke, banka strait, banka straits, florence night, florence nightingale medal, muntok, malacca, iole harper, australian army nurses, wanganella, katong, perth, red cross, english, kingsley, heidelberg repatriation hospital, fairfield hospital, wilma oram, 13th, 13th australian general hospital, murtoa, warrnambool, allies, singapore, johore baru, wilma young, cardinia, jessie simons, in japanese hands - australian nurses as pows, jessie hookaway, tasmania, british, singapore harbour, banka island, empire star, prisoner of war, palembang, sumatra, malay, dutch, ex-prisoners of war association of australia, sir edward 'weary' dunlop, max lee, glen waverley, jenny greer

A hymn written by Margaret Dryburgh, whilst in a Prisoner of War camp. It was first sung on the 5th of July in 1942 at Irenelaan, Palembang, Sumatra. Margaret Dryburgh was a Presbyterian Missionary in Singapore when the Japanese arrived, she died in a camp hospital in 1945.An A4 sheet of paper that has been cut down to a smaller size. The front contains the typed words of the hymn in black ink, the title in underlined in red pen ink. There are handwritten inscriptions on the back of the page.'Jessie Hookway / (Simons) / AANS 2/13th AGH / passed away / 23 December 2004' [Handwritten in pencil on the back of the paper] [Handwritten information regarding Miss Margaret Dryburgh, written in black ink on the back of the page, refer to media image] prisoners of war, margaret dryburgh