Dr Odette Best – Senior Lecturer Oodgeroo Unit, Queensland University of TechnologyDr Madonna Grehan Honorary Fellow, Dept. Nursing, School of Health Sciences The University of MelbourneAAHN. Dublin, Ireland 17–20 September, 2015

Aboriginal Australianwomen as trained nursesand midwives 1910–1939

Image from private collection.

Not domesticservants

Aboriginal Australian tribal boundaries

Administration of Aboriginal Australians

Queensland Aboriginal peoples have lived under numerous government policies since invasion in 1788

Official and unofficial policies can be divided into six phases:

1. British invasion and settlement 1770–1824

2. Occupation and extermination 1824–1908

3. Protection and segregation 1873–1957

4. Assimilation 1957–1980

5. Self-determination 1980

6. Reconciliation 2000

7. Northern Territory Intervention 2007

Protection and segregation

In 1897, the Aboriginal Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act was passed authorising the removal of Aboriginal people to reserves. Many Indigenous peoples refer to this time as being ‘under the Act’.

Banner made for theAustralian Aborigines League, c. 1940s

Missions and reserves

Non-Aboriginal people were appointed as District Protectors or Mission Superintendents and were accorded the powers to carry out their duties prescribed under the Act. These included:

•Where and how Aboriginal people were to live

•Where Aboriginal people were to work

•When or if Aboriginal people could practice cultural ceremonies

•Who Aboriginal people could marry

•Movement on and off the missions

•Removal of wages

•Imprisonment without offence

Research context

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Aims• establish a composite of 130 years of Aboriginal

Australian trained nurses and/or midwives• investigate anecdotal reports that Aboriginal women

trained in nursing or midwifery between 1910 -1939 Funding

• Received by the National Indigenous Research and Knowledge’s Network (NIRAKN)

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Twitter account: @blacknursinghx Email: blacknursinghistory@qut.edu.au

Research method Phase 1: Identifying Aboriginal Australian nurses and midwives 1910–1939

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Research Phase 2 – archival retrievalof Aboriginal nurses and midwives registrations 1910–1949

• Informed by Phase 1 findings• Engagement of Research Assistant Dr. Madonna Grehan• Community visits – to Cherbourg and Woorabinda Missions• Archival retrieval

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May Yarrowick – 1906

Photo from InverellHistorical Society

16Image from http://indigenoushistories.com/2013/10/30/an-indigenous-nurse-in-world-war-one-marion-leane-smith-smith

Marion Leane Smith 1910-1919

World War I and World War II nursing service.

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Woorabinda Hospital 1920’s

Image from private collection.

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Matron Teresa Allen1930–1939

Image from private family collection.

1930’s epidemic management

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Matron Kent 1940–1949

Images provided by Mrs Kent.