Shirley Joan Southwell as a member of the Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps (RAANC) interviewed by Jan Bassett

Places	Asia: Malaya, Penang Asia: Malaya, Perak, Taiping Asia: Vietnam, Vung Tau Special Zone, Vung Tau Oceania: Australia, Australian Capital Territory, Duntroon Oceania: Australia, New South Wales, Sydney Oceania: Australia, New South Wales, Sydney, Ingleburn Oceania: Australia, New South Wales, Wagga Wagga, Kapooka Oceania: Australia, Queensland, Brisbane Oceania: New Guinea1, Papua New Guinea, Papua, Port Moresby
Accession Number	S01805
Collection type	Sound
Measurement	1 hr 28 min
Object type	Oral history
Physical description	1/4 inch sound tape reel; BASF LP 35; 3 3/4 ips/9.5 cm.s; stereo; 5 inch
Maker	Bassett, Jan Southwell, Shirley Joan
Date made	23 July 1987
Access	Open
Conflict	Period 1950-1959 Period 1970-1979 Period 1960-1969 Malayan Emergency, 1948-1960 Vietnam, 1962-1975 Period 1980-1989
Copyright	Item copyright: © Australian War Memorial This item is licensed under CC BY-NC
Copying Provisions	Copyright restrictions apply. Only personal, non-commercial, research and study use permitted. Permission of copyright holder required for any commercial use and/or reproduction.
Source credit to	AWM Special Project Fellowship Award

Description

Early life; civilian nursing training at Broken Hill NSW 1953-57; joined army in 1958; posted to 2 Camp Hospital Ingleburn NSW; describes hospital and living conditions; sent to Malaya in January 1959 serving in Taiping, Cameron Highlands and Penang; describes patients; professional relationships between British and Australian nurses; duties; climate; living conditions; recreation; returned to Australia in January 1961 and spent six months in Kapooka; resigned from army and travelled to Britain; rejoined army in 1968; nursed casualties from Vietnam at 2 Military Hospital in Sydney; describes injuries of patients; sent to Captains course; posted as adjutant to 1 RAANC Training Unit in Brisbane in January 1969; posted to 1 Australian General Hospital in Vung Tau, Vietnam in October 1969; attitude to Vietnam War; describes duties and hospital facilities; food; hours of duty; recreation; professional relationship between nurses, orderlies and doctors; problems faced by nurses; returned to Australia in 1970 and posted to camp hospital at RMC Duntroon, Canberra; posted to Turama Barracks at Port Moresby, New Guinea; describes conditions and duties; recreation; food and supplies; returned to Australia in 1975 and attended Majors course at Healesville; posted to Kapooka then posted to 1 Military Hospital in Brisbane; undertook civilian nursing course for one year; in November 1983 promoted to rank of Colonel as Matron in Chief; describes role of Matron in Chief; describes the structure and administration of the RAANC; males in the RAANC; army policy and personal attitude to nurses carrying weapons; description of and attitude to nurses uniform; officer exchange program with British Army (Q.A.) nurses; future of RAANC; discusses equal pay introduced in mid 1970's by Labor government, pay rates and other conditions of service. END OF INTERVIEW
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Listen to Shirley Joan Southwell as a member of the Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps (RAANC) interviewed by Jan Bassett
Listen to Part 2 of Shirley Joan Southwell as a member of the Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps (RAANC) interviewed by Jan Bassett