Five South Australian (SA) nurses killed in the Bangka Island Massacre in World War II have been honoured at the Adelaide Naval, Military and Air Force Club at a special ceremony on the 82nd anniversary of their deaths.
More than 70 people gathered at the club to witness the unveiling of a collage of photographs of the five SA nurses.
Lodestone’s Chief Operating Officer Robert Williamson, who is a member of the club and regularly uses the Bullwinkel Room for meetings, instigated the idea to see photos of the nurses displayed in the room.
“It’s a lovely room and it’s got a very nice large photo of Vivian Bullwinkel and a beautiful photo of the Queen when she was a princess,” he said.
“I started to think about the Bangka Island Massacre and there weren’t any other photos of the other nurses," he said.
He said he petitioned the military club with the help of fellow Broken Hill boy Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld who has served as former Chief of Airforce.
“I thought it was important and we can’t forget these ladies and what happened to them,” Mr Williamson said.
Professor Colonel Annette Summers AO, provided an evocative account of the circumstances at the ceremony and presented the Club with a copy of a book White Coolies by Betty Jeffrey which she acknowledged as the best written account of the story of surviving nurses from their ship, the SS Vyner Brook. The volume is signed by Vivian Bullwinkel.
One of the photos displayed is of Broken Hill nurse Irene Drummond whose last words before she died, as remembered by Vivian Bullkwinkel, were ‘Chin up, girls. I’m proud of you and I love you all.’
Broken Hill’s Margaret Burrowes organised for the image of Irene Drummond that hangs in the Broken Hill Hospital to be replicated for the Vivian Bullwinkel room. Ms Burrowes was a guest of Lodestone Mines at the ceremony held on Friday 16, 2024.
Mr Williamson said he felt it was important to recognise the sacrifice and service of Irene Drummond.
“For me and a lot of people in Broken Hill we do need to remember Irene Drummond. She was the matron at the time and she was offered the full time matronship of the Broken Hill Hospital but she decided to go and serve the boys at war. And that’s what it was like back then,” he said.
He said it was important that we remember the stories from the past.
“It was such an awful thing. I don’t think there would be many people left from those days now in Broken Hill,” he said.
ENDS