Sister Jenny Kerr Print Page 
The park commemorates Sister Jenny Kerr who was killed on Banka Island in 1942 during World War Two. A memorial sign was installed in the park and unveiled on Anzac Day 2015.
The Vyner Brook was attacked on the 14th of February 1942 in the Banka Strait and sank within half an hour. While all the nurses survived the bombing, many drowned or were killed by the returning Japanese aeroplanes which raked those survivors struggling in the water with deadly machine-gun fire. The 53 remaining nurses staggered ashore in various stages of exhaustion, having spent anywhere from eight to 65 hours in the water.
One group of survivors was washed ashore on Banka Island. It was a motley group, comprising nurses, soldiers and civilian men and women. Finding themselves in a desperate situation, they surrendered to Japanese soldiers on the 16th of February. The men in the group were immediately led to a beach behind a bluff. The Japanese soldiers returned alone, cleaning their rifles and bayonets in front of the horrified women. The nurses were then ordered to walk into the sea, where they were machine-gunned. Only one nurse survived, Sister Vivian Bullwinkel.
A memorial park is to be established at Woodstock in honour of the late Sister Jenny Kerr who was killed by the Japanese during the last war. Already an amount of £136 has been donated towards the project. A public meeting was held Woodstock recently to initiate the appeal. The meeting was largely attended. A committee was elected to raise funds for the memorial. Mr. Reg Hailstone was voted President of this committee. The memorial will take the form of a children's park and and playground and will be called Jenny Kerr Memorial Park. It is to be built on a vacant land adjacent to the post office.
Lyndhurst Shire Chronicle (NSW), 2 April 1952.
The Governor, Sir John Northcott is to visit Woodstock next Friday, November 19. He will unveil memorials to two Woodstock residents, Nurse Jenny Kerr and Arnold Bennett, who lost their lives in World War II. The Governor will also visit Darby's Falls and the hydro-electric station and power house at Wyangala Dam.
Land (Sydney, NSW), 12 November 1954.
Location
| Address: | Rankin Street, Woodstock, 2793 |
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| State: | NSW |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -33.744071 Long: 148.849449 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Park |
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| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Military |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 16-February-1942 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 16-February-1942 |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Friday 19th November, 1954 |
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Dedicated to the memory of Sister Jenny Kerr
NX 26279 2nd A.I.F.
Who paid the supreme sacrifice
Banka Island
16 - 2 - 1942
Erected 1954
Plaque :
This memorial was unveiled by Sir John Northcott Governor of N.S.W.
Nov. 19 1954
