Nurses: from Zululand to Afghanistan launches at Australian War Memorial

by OutInCanberra 2 December 2011

The Australian War Memorial’s latest exhibition, Nurses: from Zululand to Afghanistan, has now opened and explores the other faces of war.

The exhibition looks at the personal stories of Australian military nurses, from the first known Australian nurse in the Zulu War of 1879 right up to the experiences of nurses serving in recent conflicts and peacekeeping operations.

Nurses: from Zululand to Afghanistan draws on the Memorial’s rich collection to tell the story of Australian military nursing. The iconic veil and cape worn by early nurses together with the technologically advanced equipment used today tells of the changing role and place of nurses in Australian military operations. Photographs, diaries and personal objects, such as a pencil used by Sister Betty Jeffrey to record her life in a prisoner-of-war camp, reveal a much more personal story.

Nurses: from Zululand to Afghanistan is exhibiting at the Australian War Memorial from 2 December 2011 – 17 October 2012, 10am – 5pm. Free entry.

Image: [AWM-000924 Sister Fletcher is pleased to see land at last] Courtesy of the Australian War Memorial.