Gala dinner honours great Australian

More than 400 people enjoyed a evening of entertainment, fine food and wine at a gala dinner to honour Australian World War II heroine Vivian Bullwinkel and to raise funds for the Vivian Bullwinkel Memorial Fund.

Former Chief of Defence, General Peter Cosgrove AC MC, Professor O'Connor, Governor of Victoria Professor David De Kretser AO, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences' Deputy Dean, Professor Leon Piterman, Ms Ita Buttrose AM and Vivian's nephew Mr John Bullwinkel at the gala event.

The memorial fund supports the work being undertaken by the Vivian Bullwinkel Chair in Palliative Care Nursing, which was established in 2003 by the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the Peninsula campus to lead research, teaching and support in the field of palliative care.

Vivian Bullwinkel survived three years of captivity under the Japanese Imperial Forces during World War II. Following the war she continued to dedicate her life to the comfort of the sick and dying through her profession of nursing.

The current Chair in Nursing, Palliative Care is held by Professor Margaret O’Connor who has made an impressive 20 year contribution to the field to date and leads an accomplished team of researchers.

The work conducted by Professor O'Connor and her team in Vivian's honour focuses on the needs of the dying and exploring ways their lives can be made more comfortable, with Professor O'Connor leading a range of research initiatives aimed at enhancing the provision of palliative care services both nationally and internationally

The Vivian Bullwinkel Memorial Fund Gala Dinner at the Melbourne Museum was a great success. Generously promoting the memory of Vivian Bullwinkel and supporting the fund through participation on the night were the Governor of Victoria, Professor David De Kretser AO, former Chief of Defence, General Peter Cosgrove AC MC, Lt Georgina Whelan, RAN, Commander Medical Unit, Banda Aceh, Tsunami Relief Effort, Vivian Bullwinkel's nephew Mr John Bullwinkel and Ms Ita Buttrose AM who was MC for the evening.