Olive wood camel : Voluntary Aid A Burns, 2/6 Australian General Hospital

Carved olive wood souvenir male camel with a bridle, saddle and saddle cloth detailed in the wood. The bridle's headpiece, the breastplate, girth and edge of the saddle cloth are decorated with a zig zag pattern. The camel has a red cotton cord lead rope attached to a length of carved wooden chain links, which are now placed around the animal's neck. They were originally attached to a small metal tack below the bridle's noseband. The free end of the cord is tied around the neck of a turned wooden water carrier and then tied to a wooden dowelling bar placed horizontally along the top of the left side of the saddle. The corresponding bar on the right side is missing. A turned wooden bell is tied around the camel's neck with blue cord. The right ear and right front toe have broken away.

Associated with Voluntary Aid NFX76505 Alice Maud Burns who served in the Middle East with the 2/6 Australian General Hospital from 1941-1943, then in Australia. Born in Rockhampton, Queensland, in 1918 Burns joined the Voluntary Aid Detachments (VAD) in Bathurst, NSW, under the auspices of the Red Cross and trained as a nursing orderly. She left Australia, as a member of 2/1 Australian General Hospital for service in the Middle East on 31 October 1941 but transferred to 2/6 Australian General Hospital (AGH) soon after her arrival. The hospital was located at Gaza Ridge in Palestine between March 1942 and January 1943, when 98 VADs were on the staff. By July 1942 the hospital had 1500 beds, all under canvas. This was increased to 1800 in October and November, covering the El Alamein campaign, although many of the additional patients had to be accommodated on mattresses on the floor. While she was in Palestine Alice Burns visited Jerusalem on leave where she bought this souvenir camel, which she named 'Mustapha'. After her return to Australia, in March 1943, Burns remained with 2/6 AGH, serving with the unit at Atherton, Queensland. She was promoted to corporal in April 1945. During her service in Australia, Burns married Sergeant Edwin Leslie Penman of the 4th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment. She was discharged on 25 June 1945.