Annual Augusta Nurses Memorial Service

Every year Augusta welcomes visitors and community members to share some time together at the Annual Augusta Nurses Memorial Service and reflect on the brave Australian army nursing sisters who died because of enemy action in World War II.

This year’s service will be held at 10am on Saturday 7 February, led by the Karridale-Augusta RSL with support from the Augusta-Margaret River Anglican Church and Augusta Primary School. Retired Director of Nursing Francine Temby will give the address.

The Nurses Memorial was suggested in 1977 by the late Pauline Wilson from Karridale who had trained with some of the nurses that died. She designed the Memorial with the help of the Karridale-Augusta RSL and it was installed six months later. More than 300 people attended the first service on April 21 1978 including the sole survivor of the Banka Island Massacre, Mrs Vivian Statham (nee Bullwinkel), who unveiled the granite plinth memorial. At the service Vivian expressed gratitude that the Karridale-Augusta RSL had erected what was, at the time, the only West Australian memorial dedicated to the Australian Army Nursing personnel who lost their lives as a result of enemy action during WWII. The RSL later had a plaque engraved with the names of the 53 nurses who died, which was unveiled on the 39th anniversary of the Banka Island massacre in 1981 with Vivian also present.

There will be a morning tea at the Anglican Church on Allnut Terrace following the service. All are welcome.