Australian War Memorial unveils statue design of Vivian Bullwinkel, the first woman and nurse to feature on grounds

The sculpture of Lieutenant Colonel Vivian Bullwinkel, by artist Charles Robb, will be in recognition of her exceptional military service and importance to the development of Australian nursing.

The tribute to Colonel Bullwinkel will be made possible through collaboration between the memorial and the Australian College of Nursing Foundation, which is fundraising for the statue.

"She has this extraordinary story of survival, of nursing, of caring, of humility, as well as humanity," Australian War Memorial head of art Laura Webster said.

"We were approached by the Australian College of Nurses in 2019, to develop a sculpture about Vivian, which we thought was a wonderful idea. So we worked with them, and a stakeholder group that also included defence nurses ... to be able to recognise Vivian as this amazing Australian, amazing woman, and this amazing person that dedicated their lives to public service."

Colonel Bullwinkel volunteered and served in World War II, where in February 1942 she and other nurses escaped Singapore by boat before it fell to Japanese forces.

However, their ship was sunk by Japanese aircraft, and the nurses and a large group of men, women, and children made it ashore at Banka Island. As a group left to find someone to surrender to, the nurses, including Colonel Bullwinkel, stayed behind to tend to the wounded.

MUST READS:

On the night of February 16, 1942, Japanese soldiers found and massacred the group. It was then that Colonel Bullwinkel was struck by a bullet and pretended to be dead, before realising she was the sole survivor. After hiding with a wounded soldier for 12 days, she surrendered and spent three-and-half years in captivity.

"Charles Robb came up with a really wonderful concept to represent Vivian," Ms Webster said.

"So she's standing with her hands clasped together, dressed in her summer uniform. It's a calm, peaceful, collected pose that I suppose we associate with nurses. And she's standing on some undulating waves of water, to represent the massacre at Banka Island."

There will also be 22 stainless steel discs arranged at the base of the sculpture to represent those who died during the massacre and also, as a reflection of the stars that would have been visible in the night sky on February 16, 1942.

Colonel Bullwinkel retired from the army in 1947 and became director of nursing at Melbourne's Fairfield Hospital. She devoted herself to nursing and honouring those killed on Banka Island, raising funds for a nurses' memorial, and serving as a member of the Council of the Australian War Memorial, and later President of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia.

"Sister Bullwinkel's harrowing story of dedication, compassion, survival and bravery will be commemorated in bronze at the Australian War Memorial," Australian War Memorial Director Matt Anderson said.

"Vivian Bullwinkel should be a household name. The Memorial will commemorate this inspirational Australian and her legacy as a proud nurse and a brave leader."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: