Reflections and Nightmares- Irene A Waters (writer and memoirist)

© irene waters 2015

CQUniversity celebrated International Nurses Day on May 12th, with a reader’s theatre event. Here a group of Nursing, Education and Creative Arts staff and students presented “Courage to Care” a scripted reading, telling of the role Australian Nurses had in the wars. It was a fantastic event and demonstrated without doubt the 6 C’s of Nursing – Care, compassion, Competence, communication, courage and commitment. This period nurses uniform dates through the Boer War and First World Wars. In fact when I started my nursing training we were wearing a very similar uniform minus the removable cuffs and collars. Our capes were longer and long sleeves were being phased out. When I graduated I wore a veil but prior to then a nurses cap with the stripes to denote what year I was in.

Not only was the cape red but also the liner for the tucker basket and red jam on the scones.

© irene waters 2015

These three photos are from the museum in my training hospital. The model with the veil  below is the uniform I wore when I graduated.

© irene waters 2015

© irene waters 2015

An antiquated cot – the red bulb belongs to a breast pump whilst the other instrument was used to listen to foetal heart sounds.

For Ed’s Sunday Stills the Next Challenge.