Colonel Kathleen BestPrint Page

The gates erected by the Women`s Royal Australian Army Corps commemorate their first director, Colonel Kathleen Best

On 6 November 1959 a memorial gateway to the first director of the Womens Royal Australian Army Corps (WRAAC) was erected at the entrance to WRAAC School, Georges Heights, Sydney and was opened by His Excellency the Governor of New South Wales, Lieutenant General Sir Eric Woodward KCMG, CB, CBE, DSO. The design chosen for the gates was submitted by an Australian Regular Army (ARA) Sergeant, Juanita Feltham BEM. The design was symbolic of the life and work of Colonel Kathleen Best. The gates were relocated to the Royal Military College, Duntroon and rededicated on 6 November 1994.

Kathleen Best, as nurse and army officer, was an inspiring leader in both a war and peace time environment. As an army officer in the Middle East, she distinguished herself through her courage and efficiency in her treatment and care of the wounded. After her wartime service, she assumed a number of peacetime appointments, which included becoming the founding director, Australian Women's Army Corps (Women's Royal Australian Army Corps (WRAAC)) in 1951. Kathleen Best's war effort was acknowledged by the award of the Royal Red Cross medal 'for gallantry, conduct and devotion in Greece 14/27 April 1941' and her subsequent role as Director of the WRAAC was honoured with her appointment as Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1956.

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