Lieutenant-Colonel Vivian BullwinkelPrint Page 
The figurative sculpture commemorates Lietenant-Colonel Vivian Bullwinkel (1915 -2 000) who served Australia during World War Two. It is the first female sculpture at the Australian War Memorial and stands as a constant reminder of her exceptional military service and importance to the story of Australian nursing.
The sculpture commemorates the World War Two service of Lieutenant Colonel Vivian Bullwinkel a nursing icon and national hero. The submitted design depicts Lt. Col. Bullwinkel in a standing pose in working summer uniform, mounted on top of a large elliptical base that depicts a gentle watery surface emanating from around her feet – an evocation of the water that almost claimed her life in 1942. Into this undulating surface, a series of stainless steel discs will be inset, arranged in a reflection of the main stars that would have been visible in the night sky on the evening of the massacre. These discs represent the 22 women – 21 of whom were nurses - killed in the infamous Bangka Island Massacre of 1942.
The sculpture was commissioned in 2019 in partnership with the Australian College of Nursing Foundation. The sculpture, includes 22 inlaid stainless steel discs reflecting the 22 women killed in the Bangka Island Massacre. The discs are arranged at the base of the sculpture as a reflection of the stars that would have been visible in the night sky on 16 February 1942.
There are statues of mythological figures and animals in the Australian War Memorial's sculpture garden, but there isn't one depicting a woman who has actually lived. That is set to change with the construction of a $250,000 sculpture of Australian Army nurse Lieutenant-Colonel Vivian Bullwinkel.
Colonel Bullwinkel, who died in 2000, is among the most well-known nurse veterans to have served Australia in World War II. Her story is one of astounding determination, resilience and courage. She was among nurses, patients, women and children forced to evacuate Singapore in 1942 on the SS Vyner Brooke, which was later bombed.
Colonel Bullwinkel struggled ashore with other survivors on Banka Island, where Japanese troops gathered 22 nurses and ordered them into the ocean. The troops gunned down the nurses from behind. Colonel Bullwinkel was the only survivior in the Banka Island massacre, having played dead in the water. She hid from Japanese troops for 12 days, then surrendered to them again and was a prisoner of war for more than three years.
The statue of Colonel Bullwinkel is being constructed thanks to a partnership between the Australian College of Nursing and the war memorial.
The Canberra Times, 6 April 2021.
Location
| Address: | Fairbairn & Limestone Avenues, Forecourt, Poppy`s Cafe, Australian War Memorial, Campbell, 2612 |
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| State: | ACT |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -35.281261 Long: 149.149531 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Sculpture |
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| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Military |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 03-September-1939 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 15-August-1945 |
| Artist: | Dr. Charles Robb (Brisbane, QLD) |
| Monument Manufacturer: | Billman’s Foundry (Castlemaine, VIC) |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Wednesday 2nd August, 2023 |
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