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Nurse Edith CavellPrint Page 
The Memorial and Reserve commemorate Nurse Edith Cavell who was executed by a German firing squad during World War One. The original memorial was erected in 1931.
The area underwent restoration work and is known as Edith Cavell Reserve. A plaque was added to the memorial in 2003 commemorating all nurses who served their country in all wars as well as a plaque dedicated to the women of Australia who stayed at home.
Edith Cavell was born in 1865 and became a private tutor for a wealthy Belgium family at the age of 25. After 5 years she returned home to nurse her father, and subsequently became a nurse. Before World War One she was invited to start the first nursing school in Belgium.
She looked after wounded soldiers of both sides and organised an escape route for captured French, British and Belgian soldiers. She hid them in the nurses school and led them through the the streets of Brussels at night to put them in touch with a chain of helpers she had organised.
By 1915 the German secret police had begun to suspect her. She and 34 helpers were arrested and she was sentenced to death. She was executed by a firing squad in 1915. The Ararat State School Mothers Club formed a committee and raised 152 pounds to erect the memorial to register "their disgust at this atrocity". Every ANZAC day a wreath is laid by a nurse before the procession proceeds to the Ararat War Memorial
Location
| Address: | Barkly & View Point Streets, Edith Cavell Reserve, Ararat, 3377 |
|---|---|
| State: | VIC |
| Area: | Foreign |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -37.284751 Long: 142.926377 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Medicine |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 12-October-1915 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 12-October-1915 |
Dedication
| Approx. Monument Dedication Date: | 1931 |
|---|
To the memory of
Nurse Edith Cavell
who gave her life in the Great War
1915
Plaque:
In Memory Of
All Nurses Who Served Their Country
In All Wars
"In The Midst Of Darkness They Saw Light"
2003
Edith Cavell Precinct Restoration Committee
Gwen Rhook President
Gwenda Allgood Vice President
Sue Halvorsen Secretary
Margaret Dunmore Treasurer
Jan Hiller Landscape Designer
Kaye Theobald Isabel Costello
Elaine Fenn Bill Jones
Terry Weeks Michael Scherger
In Honour Of
All Women Of Australia
For Their Dedication
To Their Country
During All World Wars
"They Also Serve Who Stay At Home"
Edit Cavell Reserve
