Prince Henry Hospital Nursing and Medical Museum

22/03/2026

Bedpan Diaries of PHH

The "Pillowcase Rule" – Why the Direction Mattered...

In the days of starched caps and hospital corners, even the smallest detail was a matter of professional pride. And one of the strictest rules on the ward.

The opening of the pillowcase must ALWAYS face away from the door.

It sounds like a small thing now, but back then, it was a law. If a Head Nurse or a Doctor walked down the hallway and could see the "open" end of the pillowcase, you’d hear about it!

Why did we do it?
Neatness: It created a smooth, seamless look from the doorway.
Hygiene: It was thought to keep dust from the hallway out of the pillow.
Discipline: It showed that the nurse cared about every single inch of that room.

Decades later, many of us still find ourselves flipping pillows at home to face the "right" way. Some habits are just too deeply ingrained.
I’m guilty of doing this in hotel rooms! What about you?

17/03/2026

Visit the museum from a different perspective! The Spirits of Prince Henry Twilight Tour this Saturday 21st march 6.30pm - 8.30pm Registration Essential, see poster for details.

15/03/2026

The Bedpan Diaries of PHH

The Shift May Be Over — But The Calling Never Leaves

There comes a day
when you fold the uniform for the last time.

No more early alarms.
No more 12-hour shifts.
No more walking into rooms where someone needs you.

And it feels strange.

Because nursing was never just a schedule.

It was a rhythm.
A responsibility.
A piece of who you became.

You didn’t just “work” all those years.

You stood at bedsides when families couldn’t.
You steadied shaking hands.
You explained hard truths with a steady voice.
You made chaos feel survivable.

You carried more than supplies down hallways.

You carried trust.

You showed up on holidays.
On nights when your own heart was heavy.
On days when exhaustion whispered, “Not today.”

And still — you went.

Not for applause.
Not for recognition.

But because someone needed you.

The world may measure your career in years.

But the real measure?

It’s in the lives that moved forward
because you were there.

It’s in the families who found comfort.
The patients who felt less alone.
The coworkers you quietly mentored.
The standards you upheld when no one was watching.

Retirement doesn’t erase that.

It reveals it.

The uniform may rest now.

But the impact doesn’t.

It lives in stories you’ll never hear.
In gratitude you may never see.
In outcomes that stretched far beyond your shift.

This isn’t the end of something small.

It’s the completion of something sacred.

You didn’t just finish a career.

You built a legacy.

And that kind of service?

It doesn’t clock out.

If you’ve reached this chapter — stand proud in it.

You earned every peaceful morning that comes next.

Thanks to all those who now volunteer at our Museum.

15/03/2026

Come visit us for Back to Prince Henry Day we have:
🏥Free guided museum tours
🚗My Car Club with classic cars
🧺Market Stalls
🌭Sausage Sizzle
👧🧒Free Face Painting
Here until 3pm

11/03/2026

This week in Women's History Month we look at,
Female Pioneers: Healthcare in Little Bay.
The first five young women became the first graduates of the Coast Hospital Training School, laying the foundation for generations of nurses who would serve communities across Australia.
The first five nurses to graduate were:
* Helen Mary Halloway
* Charlotte Lawson Dash
* Charlotte Louise Hillsdon
* Catherine Cook Lumley
* Evelyn Mance

10/03/2026

🏛 Museums are places of connection.

On Sunday, we had the privilege of helping a lovely family reconnect with their mother and grandmother Christina’s story. The Bradley family, visiting from England, came to learn more about the hospital where she trained as a nurse in the 1950s.

Our volunteer team shared insights into the hospital’s history, what nursing training looked like in that era, and—most special of all—were able to show them Christina’s graduating class photograph.
Moments like these are at the heart of what we do. They remind us how powerful museums can be in creating emotion, belonging, and connection across generations.

08/03/2026

Today we celebrate International Women's Day and celebrate all women.

Today we remember Florence Nightingale (1820–1910) who is celebrated as the founder of modern nursing and a pioneer of using statistics in monitoring public health, transforming healthcare through sanitation reform during the Crimean War. Known as "The Lady with the Lamp," she established nursing as a respected profession, demonstrating immense impact as a female leader in a male-dominated era.

06/03/2026

20/02/2026

It is with great sadness that we advise of the passing of our friend Elizabeth Macerola (née Sullivan). Liz was a student nurse at Prince Henry, Prince of Wales and Eastern Suburbs Hospitals between February 1974 and 1977 (1976 grad). She continued nursing in Intensive Care before specialising in immunisation with CSL.

Liz will be sorely missed.

A celebration of Liz’s life will be held for family and friends at Castlebrook Garden Chapel, Rouse Hill on Wednesday 25 February 2026 at 10am.

Vale Liz. We were lucky to have you as our friend.

13/02/2026

They were really horrible and fateful days in February 1942.

On the evening of 12 February, the SS Vyner Brooke was one the last ships carrying evacuees to leave Singapore. On board were about 250 men, women and children, including 65 Australian Army Nurses.

Throughout the daylight hours of 13 February the Vyner Brooke laid up in the lee of a small jungle-covered island. She was attacked late in the afternoon by a Japanese aircraft, fortunately with no serious casualties.

At sunset she made a run for the Bangka Straits, heading for Palembang in Sumatra. Prowling Japanese warships, however, impeded her progress. Daylight the next day found her dangerously exposed on a flat sea just inside the Straits.

Not long after 2 pm on Saturday 14 February 1942 the Vyner Brooke was attacked by several Japanese aircraft. Despite evasive action, she was crippled by several bombs and within half an hour rolled over and sunk bow first.

Approximately 150 survivors eventually made it ashore at various locations on Bangka Island, after periods of between eight and 65 hours in the water. The island had just been occupied by the Japanese and most of the survivors were taken captive.

Many passengers were killed in the bombing or died shortly after from drowning or were never heard of again. Although great damage was done to the ship the Nurses remained calm and implemented the plan put together by their 2 Matrons; Paschke and Drummond.

“The plan stressed that all civilians aboard be accounted for and evacuated before the Nurses could leave and several of the nurses had been charged with verifying that the civilians had been evacuated". (P157 On Radji Beach).

Some of the surviving Nurses recalled their experiences and Vivian Bullwinkel said that

"...next day (Friday the13th February) was spent hiding behind islands and avoiding detection. The day was hazy and hot, the sea was calm and the captain knew that he would be foolish to attempt to breakout in these conditions. That night, the Vyner Brooke attempted to slip out to freedom, and eventually it reached the Bangka Strait. After dodging bombs from Japanese planes and machine gun fire which had left the starboard lifeboats holed, the ship eventually received three direct hits. One bomb went down the funnel, while another exploded on the bridge, the third hit the aft section injuring scores of civilians. The vessel began to pitch and soon the frightened passengers heard the sound of pouring water. The Vyner Brooke was sinking and the captain gave the order to abandon ship. The ship was to sink in approximately 15 minutes.

Some of the nurses helped to move the wounded topside, while others lent a hand getting everyone up on. The civilians were ordered to go over the side first, and "...those that weren't too keen to leave, we gave a helping hand to!" They were no sooner in the water, than enemy pilots returned and began strafing the human flotsam. There was utter pandemonium, one lifeboat holding the elderly and children turned over and two empty lifeboats, with bullet holes in them, dropped into the sea.

Fate determined what happened to the Nurses.

Some made it ashore relatively quickly and became POWs; others floated at the mercy of the currents for many, many hours until they too reached 'safety' as POWs. The wretched ones ended up on Radji Beach to a horrible fate a few days later.

The photo below of a graphic shows how the Nurses were at the mercy of the currents. This was prepared by Dr Ian McGregor whose mother, Sister Sylvia Muir, survived the sinking and captivity to return to Australia.

Of the 65 Australian nurses who embarked on the Vyner Brooke in Singapore, 12 were killed during the air attack or drowned following the sinking, 21 were executed on Radji Beach, and 32 became Prisoners of War, 8 of whom subsequently died before the end of the war.

Only 24 Nurses returned to Australia.

Next Monday, at the 84th Anniversary Commemorations at Muntok and Radji Beach we will be remembering the Nurses and many others who died on those fateful days in February 1942.

Sources

Public records
AWM Website
On Radji Beach by Ian Shaw
Dr Ian McGregor

04/02/2026

💡On this Day: 5th February 1912
114 years ago, the Coast Hospital lit up in a whole new way.
For the very first time, the hospital was illuminated by electric light.
A moment that may seem small today marked a huge leap forward for patient care and nursing conditions.
From kerosene lamps and candlelight to the flick of a switch.
By 1914, the installation of all the electrical fittings was complete, and the provision of adequate lighting was at last solved.

Newspaper Article: The Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW) Thu 8 Feb 1912 (Trove NLA)

16/12/2025

Yesterday we invited local community to our Nurses Chapel, a safe space to reflect quietly.
…………….
In light of the recent tragedy in our community, the Nurses Chapel will be open this evening from 5pm to 7pm for silent reflection. All welcome.
There were families of local children who knew the little girl who was shot. A response on Facebook and a message from the children was good feedback on the gesture.

Thank you Adrienne Pearson for giving our little community somewhere to go and reflect this evening
Our kids are devastated ….but my son said going there tonight helped x