Army Nurse Has New Position At Burwood

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30045, 1 February 1963, Page 2

Army Nurse Has New Position At Burwood

Miss Kathleen Bland, who retired recently from two yean* duty as matron at Barnham Military Camp Hospital and 17 years as an army sister, is now assistant-tutor sister at the school of nursing, Burwood Hospital. From 1803 to IMS, Miss Bland served with the Queen Alexandra Royal Army Nursing Corps to Britain, Egypt and Malaya with the rank of captain. While on active service in Malaya, during the Communist terrorist fighting, she eras awarded the Royal Red Cross (second class) medal. She was invested with the decoration by the Queen at Buckingham Palace

Hoepitol Ship After completing her general training at Christchurch Hospital in IMS. Miss Bland nursed in hospitals on several RN.Z.AJ. stations in New Ztaland. In 1845 she joined the hospital ship. Maunganui, in Wellington, to look after former prisor.ers-of-war from the Far East, who were returning to Australia and Britain. She came back on the same ship the next year, then went to Japan as a nursing sister with the occupation forces. Back to New Zealand she did her maternity training in IMS and a post-graduate course in hospital and nursing school administration in 1980. She was posted to Wai-

ouru Military Camp Hospital as tutor sister and assist-ant-matron for the next two years.

In 1452 Miss Bland returned to Britain to join the nursing corps for five years. After a year as tutor sister at the RU.Z.AM.C. depot at Bumham, Miss Bland was appointed matron of the Bumham Military Camp Hospital, where she remained until the end of last December.

If she had her life over again she would still choose a military nursing career. Miss Bland said yesterday. “The experience I gained, particularly with the Q-A.R.-A_N.C„ on overseas service, was of a kind I could never have hoped for by staying in New Zealand. It was wonderful to meet people of so many different countries and to learn about their customs, hospital administration and tropical diseases,” said Miss Bland.