kings birthday

Nurses and midwives prominent in the Australia Day Honours list.

Named in the 2023 Australia Day Honours list were Jennifer Collins, the union’s state president from 1992–1998, and Susan Pearce, who was a NSWNMA organiser and manager for almost nine years.

Jennifer, who retired as a Department of Veterans Affairs Deputy Commissioner (NSW and the ACT) in 2017, was commended for “significant service to veterans and their families, and to nursing”.

Susan, who is Secretary of NSW Health and a former NSW Chief Nurse, led the state’s COVID-19 Emergency Operations Centre health response during the pandemic.

She was commended for “significant service to public health administration and governance”.

Susan told The Lamp she did high school work experience at a hospital and “never conceived of being anything else other than a nurse. I liked the idea of caring for people and I still do so – that’s always been in me.”

She became an Association branch official while nursing at Broken Hill.

“I’ve always loathed unfairness and tried throughout my life, whether personally or professionally, to address things I could see were unfair,” she said.

“That probably attracted me to the union and the role unions play in advocating for staff as a collective.”

She agreed her background as a nurse and Association officer undoubtedly helped her in her role as head of the state’s operational response to COVID-19.

Skills learned while working systematically through “very difficult problems, dealing with difficult situations, dealing with people when they were distressed or upset” stood her in good stead for a top health role during a period of crisis.

“A lot of nursing leaders stood up during the course of the pandemic … many of our senior nurses led the operational response to the pandemic and did a magnificent job of it.”

A unique privilege

Susan has no hesitation in recommending nursing as a career; NSW Health employed a record number of newly graduated nurses and midwives this year and her own daughter has just started nursing.

“I think the beauty of the profession is the breadth and depth of it … You can really make of it anything you want to be, and I don’t think any of that has changed since I started nursing.”

Nurses and midwives have “the unique privilege of being with people during some of their most difficult and vulnerable times, as well as happy times. Dealing with people in those situations and forming those relationships sticks with you and you remember them forever.”

Jennifer Collins started her nursing career at Cooma Hospital in 1974, undertook general training at Concord Repatriation General Hospital, and then commenced midwifery training at Westmead Hospital.

“I was shocked that many of the nurses’ conditions that were in place at Concord did not exist at Westmead,” she told The Lamp. “This injustice motivated me to be active at a local and state level to ensure nurses were not disadvantaged regardless of where they worked.”

Jennifer became a union delegate and branch secretary, a member of state council, and state and national president.

“The union taught me about advocacy and being willing to call out things such as inequity and social injustice. It also taught me that if we stand together we can achieve great things.”

In the Department of Veterans Affairs she led major reforms in service delivery for widows and families of ADF personnel, and the development and implementation of a support program for wounded, injured or ill veterans.

In retirement, she chairs the boards of management 
of the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway and War Widows Guild.

“My role is to ensure the stories of our veterans and families are not forgotten and also to advocate for families to ensure they receive the necessary support,” she said. ” n

Recognition of 
our profession

Three NSW nurses and two midwives 
were recognised in the 2023 King’s Birthday Honours list. 

Joanne Gray was received as a member of the Order of Australia (AM) “for significant service 
to education, and to the midwifery profession”.

Joanne is the current Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Education and Students, at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), as 
well as the President of the Australian College 
of Midwives.

Dr Nicky Leap was also received as a Member 
of the Order of Australia “for significant service 
to midwifery as a clinician and educator”.

Dr Leap is Adjunct Professor of Midwifery at 
UTS, and was involved in the development of 
the university’s Bachelor of Midwifery program. She has served in the Midwifery Practice Committee of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association, and was the Association’s Midwife 
of the Year in 2006.

Rose-Marie Radley was received as a member of the Order of Australia “for significant service 
to community health, and to the nursing profession”. She had been a former Director of Nursing at the Sydney Adventist Hospital, as well as having been the Lead Nursing Officer at Open Heart International’s first visitation program to the Solomon Islands.

Elizabeth Grist was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her “service to community health, and to nursing and midwifery”. She has been the Executive Director of Clinical Services Nursing and Midwifery for Hunter New England Local Health District since 2015.

Natalie Shiel was also awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for “for service to nursing”. Natalie is the Director of Nursing, COVID-19 Vaccination and Screening Program, for the Sydney Local Health District (SLHD).