Home » Themes » Conflict » World War Two
Australian Nurses Memorial Centre Print Page 
The Australian Nurses Memorial Centre was purchased as a war memorial to commemorate nurses who died in service or were killed in action in World War Two. Outside the building is a cenotaph with a bronze bust of a nurse in uniform and a plaque. A new plaque was unveiled at the site in February 2021.
Originally a private home, the property has been redeveloped and it is now known as Fawkner Towers. The Memorial Centre occupies part of the building.
The Centre was established following a public appeal in 1946, initiated by Victorian nurses who had returned from the war, especially Betty Jeffrey and Vivian Bullwinkel. Over the next two years, they collected £78,000 and the Nurses Memorial Centre opened on 14 May 1949. Jeffrey became the centre's administrator, but continuing ill-health forced her to retire in 1954.
Nurses Memorial Centre 1949Location
| Address: | 431 St Kilda Road, Australian Nursing Memorial Centre, Fawkner Towers, Melbourne, 3000 |
|---|---|
| State: | VIC |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -37.838438 Long: 144.976749 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Conflict |
| Sub-Theme: | WW2 |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 03-September-1939 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 15-August-1945 |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Saturday 14th May, 1949 |
|---|
Plaque :
AUSTRALIAN NURSES
MEMORIAL CENTRE
This memorial is a tribute to the sacrifices made by Australian nurses in war,conflict, peace keeping and humanitarian missions. It honours all who died whilst serving, or suffered as prisoners of war, from the Boer War to the present day. Wherever Australian service personnel have served, there have been nurses to care for them.
The Australian Nurses Memorial Centre was established on 19th February 1950 by World War 11 nurses Lieutenant Colonel Vivian Bullwinkle AO MBE and Lieutenant Betty Jeffrey OAM, who themselves were prisoners of war. The founders raised funds from the Victorian community to purchase "Madowla" the homestead originally on this site. The Centre honours and supports Australian nurses past, present and future.
This plaque was funded by the Victorian State Government.
Plaque :
To Remember Those Nurses Who Gave
Their Lives For Their Country And
Those Who Served In The Armed Forces
During The Second World War 1939 - 45.
May They Kindle In Your Hearts A Torch Whose Flame Shall Be Eternal
