Bullwinkel, Vivian (Lieutenant Colonel, b.1915 - d.2000)

Collection relating to the career and service of F31029 Lieutenant Colonel Vivian Statham (nee Bullwinkel), AO, MBE, ARRC, ED, prisoner of war and matron, 1953-1998.

The collection consists of drafts, notes and final versions of various speeches, talks and lectures Bullwinkel gave between 1953 and 1998. The speeches and other talks were delivered at commencement ceremonies, graduations, medical and nursing conferences, to societies, and at Anzac Day and commemorative ceremonies, and cover topics such as Bullwinkel's nursing career, her military service, the Bangka Island massacre, and her experiences as a prisoner of the Japanese during the Second World War.

Wallet 1 of 7 - Consists of drafts, notes and cards for speeches and talks Bullwinkel gave between 1953 and 1959. Includes talks delivered on Empire Day (1954) and to the RSC Nurses Club (1956), on topics such as her nursing training, Australian military heritage, and her work under the Assisted Passage Migration Scheme at Australia House in London.

Wallet 2 of 7 - Consists of drafts, notes and the text of final versions of speeches and talks Bullwinkel gave between 1960 and 1969. Includes talks delivered for the opening of an art exhibition (c 1960), on Remembrance Day (1961), at the unveiling of war memorials, to ex-service organisations, and to graduation ceremonies, on topics such as nursing, medical innovations, hospitals, patriotism and citizenship, and the Second World War.

Wallet 3 of 7 - Consists of drafts, notes and the text of final versions of speeches and talks Bullwinkel gave between 1970 and 1979. Includes talks delivered to Melbourne Legacy (1970 and 1976), at the ADMS conference (1970), at the Shrine of Remembrance (1972), on Australia Day (c 1973), the 25th Annual Meeting of the College of Nursing (1974), and at graduation, commemoration and remembrance ceremonies, on topics such as the history of nursing in Australia, the future of nursing, Australia's military heritage, and the Second World War. The wallet also includes an invitation to attend the annual dinner for medical, dental and nursing officers of the Royal Australian Navy (1974), copies of two issues of the Melbourne Legacy Bulletin, and a copy of the Secretary's Report on the Activities of the Hospital Matrons' Association of Victoria (1976).

Wallet 4 of 7 - Consists of drafts, notes and the text of final versions of speeches and talks Bullwinkel gave between 1981 and 1989. Includes talks delivered to the Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps (1981), at the launch of Tim Bowden and Hank Nelson's book 'Australians Under Nippon' (1984), to the Royal Perth Hospital Ex-Trainees and Associates Association (1985), at the Special Bangka Strait Memorial Dinner (1986), at the 40th anniversary ceremony for the Repatriation General Hospital Hollywood (c 1986), at the Heritage 200 Luncheon (1988), and at graduation, commemoration and remembrance ceremonies, on topics such as nursing, the Bangka Island massacre, her experiences as a prisoner of war, and the history of nursing in Australia. The wallet also includes a copy of the Perth Legacy Bulletin of 26 May 1981.

Wallet 5 of 7 - Consists of drafts, notes and the text of final versions of speeches and talks Bullwinkel gave between 1991 and 1998. Includes talks given for the 50th anniversary of the 2/13th Australian General Hospital (1991), on Anzac Day (1992 and 1993), the Major General Sir James Harrison Memorial Lecture (1992), the Sister Elizabeth Kenny Oration (1992), the Petro Fedorczenko Memorial Lecture (1994), and as part of the 'Australia Remembers - 1945-1995' commemorations, on topics such as leadership, Australian women in war, Australia in the Second World War, the Bangka Island massacre, and her experiences as a prisoner of war. The wallet also includes a letter to Bullwinkel from Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer, forwarding a copy of his 1998 Anzac Day address at the Australian War Memorial. Fischer's address mentions Bullwinkel's experiences as a prisoner of war and her testimony to the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal.

Wallet 6 of 7 - Consists of undated and handwritten drafts, notes and cards for speeches and talks given by Bullwinkel. The wallet includes addresses delivered to societies, associations and at professional events, as well as graduation and commemoration ceremonies, on topics such as society or procedural matters, the nursing profession, and her experiences as a prisoner of war.

Wallet 7 of 7 - Consists of two folders, containing undated and typed drafts, notes and the text of final versions of speeches and talks given by Bullwinkel, and of printed prayers, poems and other material. Folder 1 includes talks given at the unveiling and dedication of memorials, to reunions, at charitable events and citizenship ceremonies, and to the 3rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australian Military Medicine Association, on topics such as the nursing profession, the sinking of the Vyner Brooke, the Bangka Island massacre, her experiences as a prisoner of war, Australia's military heritage, and military medicine. Folder 2 contains prayers, verses from the Book of Isaiah, the poem 'Anzac Day' by VX105119 Private Drewson Hunter, 'Bless Australia I Say' by Ny Pin Ho, and 'Our Australian Flag', excerpts from the Manual of Naval Law, and brief histories of the Royal Australian Naval Nursing Service and Royal Australian Air Force Nursing Service.