Lietenant Colonel Vivian Bullwinkel AO, MBE, ARRC, ED - An Australian Nurse (18 December 1915 - 3 July 2000)
(Source: Vivian Bullwinkel - Australian Heroine: Documentary) Early Career and World War II: Vivian Bullwinkel, sole survivor of the 1942 Banka Island (Indonesia) massacre in World War II, was born on 18 December 1915 at Kapunda, South Australia. She trained as a nurse and midwife at Broken Hill, New South Wales, and began her nursing career in Hamilton, Victoria, before moving to the Jessie McPherson Hospital in Melbourne in 1940. (Source: Australian War Memorial: Captain Vivian Bullwinkel, AO, MBE, ARRC) Vivian completed her general nurse training at the Broken Hill and District Hospital in 1938 and following completion of her Midwifery in 1939, worked as a Staff Nurse at the Kiaora Private Hospital in the small country town of Hamilton in Victoria. She then moved to Melbourne and worked at Guildford Private Hospital and then in the Jessie McPherson wing of the Queen Victoria Hospital. (1940 - 1941). "In 1941, wanting to enlist, Bullwinkel volunteered as a nurse with the RAAF but was rejected for having flat feet. She was, however, able to join the Australian Army Nursing Service; assigned to the 2/13th Australian General Hospital (2/13th AGH), in September 1941 she sailed for Singapore. After a few weeks with the 2/10th AGH, Bullwinkel rejoined the 13th AGH in Johor Baharu. Japanese troops invaded Malaya in December 1941 and began to advance southwards, winning a series of victories.[1] and, in late January 1942, forcing the 13th AGH to evacuate to Singapore. But the short-lived defence of the island ended in defeat, and, on 12 February, Bullwinkel and 65 other nurses boarded the SS Vyner Brooke to escape the island.
Two days later, the ship was sunk by Japanese aircraft. Bullwinkel, 21 other
nurses and a large group of men, women, and children made it ashore at Radji
Beach on Banka Island. Others on board either went down with the ship or
were swept away and never seen again. The group were joined the next day by
others making a total of about 100 including about twenty English soldiers
from another ship sunk earlier. They elected to surrender to the Japanese.
An officer from the Vyner Brooke walked to Muntok, a town on the north-west
of the island, to contact the Japanese. While he was away Matron Irene
Drummond, the most senior of the Australian nurses, suggested that the
civilian women and children should start off walking towards Muntok.
After the War: After the War she worked in Melbourne at the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital. In 1949, Vivian resigned from the army and continued her career as a civilian nurse. She retained her position at the hospital which had now become the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital and was transferred to the hospital's blood bank. In 1950, she traveled to England with Betty Jeffrey. They were able to obtain positions at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington. Vivian later was employed as a sister-receptionist at the Department of Immigration at Australia House. They spent two years working in England but the highlight of their trip was being invited to tea with the Queen Mother who was eager to hear about their war experiences. On returning to Australia, in
1953 she resumed her position at the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital and in
1955 she became the Assistant Matron. In 1975, Vivian would experience war again. As matron of Fairfield Hospital, she lead a team to Saigon to evacuate 80 Vietnamese war orphans - just weeks before the city fell to the North Vietnamese army. Vivian grew very attached to the children during the months they stayed at Fairfield under her care and she remained in touch with many of them as they grew up with their adopted Australian families. As the President of the Royal College of Nursing Australia (1973-1974), she was a key player in the struggle to have nursing education moved to universities.
Death: She resigned from Fairfield Hospital in 1977 when she married Colonel F.W. Stratham. Vivian Bullwinkle died suddenly of a heart attack in a Perth hospital on Monday 3rd July 2000 after leg surgery she was 84 years old. She was given a State Government Funeral, which was held St George’s Anglican Cathedral, St George’s Terrace, Perth at 10.30 am on Monday 10 July 2000. Links: Google Doodle Design (contributed by Ella Barry, ACU Education Student) Primary Middle Secondary Australian Curriculum General Capability: Critical & Creative Thinking Australian Curriculum General Capability: ICT Capability
1. Vivian Bullwinkel was born on the 18th December 1915. You are to create a google doodle for the website which can be displayed on the 18th of December each year to celebrate Vivian's birthday. How can you educate Australians about Vivian Bullwinkel with your Google Doodle? 2. To get some ideas look at the following Google Doodles:
3. Make sure the google banner encapsulates the spirit of Vivian and her achievements!
Can you make your design into animated gif like the Halloween example? Go to the following site to make your doodle special using Scratch:
5. What would be another way to celebrate this famous Australian?
How will Vivian be remembered? Create a Quizz! Primary Middle Secondary Australian Curriculum General Capability: ICT Capability Australian Curriculum General Capability: Critical & Creative Thinking Australian Curriculum General Capability: Literacy
1. You are to create a 20 question Kahoot! about Vivian from the information (above).
2. Form into groups of 4 and start with one Kahoot! Follow this by Kahoot! 2 - 4. How did you fair?
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