Trish Cook (Bullwinkel, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

This motion acknowledges the profound and enduring contribution of women to the Australian Defence Force for over a century. While women today serve in every capacity across our Navy, Army and Air Force, we must remember that this path was paved by the extraordinary courage of those who came before. In my electorate of Bullwinkel, named in honour of a true Australian heroine, we are reminded daily of the debt we owe to Lieutenant Colonel Sister Vivian Bullwinkel and her colleagues.

To appreciate the security and freedom we enjoy today, we must look back to February 1942. Vivian Bullwinkel was one of 65 Australian nurses who reluctantly evacuated Singapore aboard the SS Vyner Brooke due to the Japanese invasion. When the ship was sunk by Japanese aircraft, Vivian and a group of survivors eventually washed ashore on Bangka Island. What followed remains one of the most harrowing chapters in our military history.

On that ratty beach, 22 surviving Australian nurses who, under the Geneva Convention, should have been taken as prisoners of war were instead ordered to march out into the ocean. They knew what was coming. Vivian recalled Matron Irene Drummond saying, 'Chin up, girls; I'm proud of you, and I love you all.' They walked with their heads held high, supporting one another, displaying a calm dignity that defied the horror of the moment, and they were mowed down by machine-gun fire. Vivian was the sole survivor, only a few years older than my own daughter is today. Struck by a bullet that passed through her hip, she feigned death until the captors left. For 12 days she hid in the jungle caring for a wounded British soldier before she was forced to surrender and spend 3½ years as a prisoner of war in trying conditions.

Vivian Bullwinkel did not just survive. She bore witness and later testified at the war crimes tribunal in Tokyo, and she carried the memory of her 21 sisters in arms back to the Australian shores. She ensured that their sacrifice was not lost to the tides of Bangka Island but was instead etched into the soul of our nation. Vivian's story is the pinnacle of a century-long narrative. From the Australian Army Nursing Service in World War II to the intelligence officers, pilots and combat medics serving in the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific today, women have been serving our nation with remarkable contributions.

As the member for Bullwinkel, I am humbled to represent the electorate that carries her name. We do not just honour a person; we honour a standard of selfless service. Let us use this motion to recommit ourselves to supporting women currently serving in the ADF, ensuring that they have the resources, the respect and the recognition they deserve. We stand on the shoulders of giants like Vivian Bullwinkel and her 21 fallen colleagues, including Alma Beard from Toodyay, which is in my electorate. We will remember them. Lest we forget.

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