A memorial commemorating the work of two nurses from Little River during World War I was unveiled last Friday.
The memorial features cousins Sister Kit McNaughton and Sister Sadie McIntosh, and was erected by the Little River Historical Society using $50,000 from the federal government’s Anzac Centenary local grants program.
Society president Les Sanderson said the base of the memorial was made of rock from the former family home of Sister McNaughton, while the tribute was located on Rothwell Road land that belonged to Sister McIntosh’s family.
Sister McNaughton helped injured soldiers off the coast of Gallipoli before being sent to the Western Front to run an operating theatre during the Battle of Passchendaele.
Sister McIntosh served in Egypt before setting up a war hospital in England, helping injured soldiers from the frontline in France.
Mr Sanderson said that while the memorial was ultimately a tribute to everyone who served in World War I, the society also wanted to commemorate the work of two locals.
“It is so unusual for females to go away to war, and they have had no recognition until the last few years,” he said. “They were so important to the survival of the soldiers and they suffered, too, but they got no reward for it.”
Lalor MP Joanne Ryan, who is Sister McNaughton’s granddaughter, said she was pleased the cousins had been recognised with a permanent memorial in the town where they grew up and to which Kit returned.
