Two Australian war nurses have been permanently commemorated in their local Victorian shire ahead of ANZAC Day, with the unveiling of bronze busts honouring their service and sacrifice during World War II.

Bronze busts of Oxley Shire nurses Sister Dorothy ‘Bud’ Elmes and Sister Caroline ‘Carrie’ Ennis were officially unveiled on 28 March 2026 at Oxley Memorial Park, creating a lasting memorial to two women whose lives were lost during the war.

“Remembrance must be visible,” said Independent Federal Member for Indi and registered nurse Dr Helen Haines who spoke at the commemorative event. “They were young, highly trained and deeply committed to their calling.”

“For too long, women’s stories—especially those of regional Australians—have been under-represented. As Professor Clare Wright reminds us, memorials like this are not just monuments; they are corrections to the historical record.

“These busts stand alongside other memorials in our region, breaking the bronze ceiling and ensuring the contribution of nurses is seen and remembered.”

Remembering sacrifice and service

Sisters Elmes and Ennis were among 65 Australian nurses evacuated from Singapore aboard the SS Vyner Brooke, which was bombed by Japanese aircraft on 14 February 1942. Sister Elmes survived the sinking and reached Radji Beach on Bangka Island, where she was one of 21 Australian nurses murdered. Sister Ennis was among 12 nurses lost at sea following the bombing. Sister Vivian Bullwinkel was the sole survivor of the massacres and later revealed the truth of what occurred.

More than 300 people attended the unveiling ceremony, including an impressive line-up of speakers and around 100 descendants of the two nurses.

The busts were officially unveiled by family members: Valerie Bodger, the youngest sister and only surviving sibling of Carrie Ennis, and her great-niece Shelley West; and Bud Elmes’s nephew Rowland Banks and niece Sally Alsop.

The ceremony was hosted by Georgina Banks, author of Back to Bangka, an investigative book into the death of her great-aunt Bud Elmes.

“The community really got behind the idea of honouring these two local nursing war heroes. In many ways it felt like bringing them home. There were no bodies and no funerals, and sharing that moment together made it a deeply meaningful day.

“It was especially moving to see my father and aunt unveil Bud’s statue after living for so long with that loss. For the other family, seeing Caroline Ennis’s sister—now in her 90s, blind and living in aged care—there on the day was incredibly beautiful.”

A community-led memorial

A commemorative address was delivered by ex-Group Captain Kath Stein, former Director of Defence Force Nursing and current President of the Australian College of Nursing.

Also in attendance were Colonel Jan McCarthy, who served as a nurse in the Vietnam War and became Matron-in-Chief in 1988; Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation Federal Secretary Annie Butler; and Rural City of Wangaratta Mayor Cr Irene Grant.

The project was a powerful example of what can happen when a group of local women decide they want to do something to memorialise one of their own, said Ms Banks.

The unveiling marked the culmination of years of dedication by women whose shared commitment ensured the nurses’ stories were not forgotten.

The project was sparked following the publication of Back to Bangka. Local bookseller Belinda Harrison organised a community event in Oxley that coincided with the book’s release, attended by Ennis family members and Dr Haines. Also present was local community member Jan Vincent, former schoolteacher at the Cheshunt primary school which Bud had also attended.

“She turned to me and said to Belinda: ‘We’ve got to do something to memorialise these two women,’” Ms Banks recalled.

Inspired by nursing memorials elsewhere, a small committee—Honouring Our Oxley Shire Nurses WWII—was formed, with the majority of fundraising coming directly from the local community.

The busts are positioned on either side of a memorial bench in Oxley Memorial Park, addressing the absence of a physical resting place for the nurses, whose bodies were never recovered.

“It’s something tangible,” said Ms Banks. “There’s something there that’s going to be there forever.”

Main photo: The HOOSNWWII committee – Honouring our Oxley Shire Nurses WWII and dignitaries: Belinda Harrison, Jan Vincent, Federal MP for Indi Helen Haines, ex Group Captain Kath Stein, Georgina Banks, Shelley great-niece of Caroline Ennis, Wendy McRae and Lorraine Crellin, Councillor Irene Grant, Mayor of the Rural City of Wangaratta.