A lifetime of care: Celebrating Kathleen on International Nurses Day

Kathleen is the kind of person whose presence makes you lean in - not just because she's nearly 101 years old, but because her stories are the living, breathing history of Australian nursing. From wartime hospitals in Brisbane, to maternity wards on Thursday Island, Kathleen’s career has touched more lives than even she could count. “People used to stop me on the street and say, ‘you delivered me!’” she says with a laugh.

Born in Warwick, Queensland, in 1924, Kathleen was just 12 years old when she first knew she wanted to be a nurse. After being cared for by a nurse during a bout of appendicitis, she thought to herself, “now that would be a good job!”

As a young girl, she started playing ‘hospital’ with her dog, practicing her bedside manner. She was pleased her pet was so obliging - patiently lying in a box made up as a bed. It was a dream she held onto tightly, even when her mother urged her to stay in Oakey and work in an office.

“I didn’t want to do that. I told my mother that when I turned 21 I was going to leave home and go nursing,” she said.

That determination would become the foundation of a remarkable nursing career that spanned over 40 years, countless hospital wards and generations of lives brought into the world.

Now almost 101 years old, Kathleen reflects on a life spent in service. Her story is one of resilience, kindness, and an unshakable calling to help others - even when it meant going against expectations to pursue her dream.

Thankfully, her father, a WWI veteran who fought in Belgium and France, supported her ambitions, encouraging her to gain experience in the big city. “Go to Brisbane, my father said. They’ve got the most modern equipment down there, and everything is as up-to-date as it can be.”

So she did. Kathleen worked in Brisbane’s private hospitals during WWII. With many men serving overseas, hospital staffing was stretched thin. “There were hardly any wardsmen,” she recalls. “It was hard because in those days we didn’t have mechanical lifters. We needed six people to help turn a patient with spinal injuries.” 

Her career took her all over Queensland - as a midwife in Toowoomba, in the operating theatre and maternity ward on Thursday Island, and even conducting medical survey work around Cape York, all in her twenties.

Kathleen remembers how strict nursing was in those days: “The beds had to be made up perfectly,” she said. “There was a blue line along the edge of the quilt and the Matron would bend down to inspect the lines across all the beds. If the blue stripes didn’t line up, you were sent back to fix it - no exceptions.”

The high standards gave her the experience she needed to later become a Matron herself at Oakey Hospital, where she led her team with fairness and compassion.

When asked if she had advice for anyone wanting to become a nurse, Kathleen replied:

“First of all, you need patience. Patience and empathy.  You have to understand how other people feel, even if they think differently to you” she said. "And mostly, you have to be kind and caring towards others.”

Today, Kathleen begins a new chapter as the newest resident of McLean Care’s CWA House in Oakey. She may have retired from nursing in 1989, but her spark, humour, and sense of purpose haven’t faded a bit. Staff and fellow residents are already inspired by her warmth and incredible life story.

On this International Nurses Day, we honour Kathleen for her decades of service, for following her calling, and for showing us all what it truly means to care.