Nurse training books

Author: Tara Oldfield

Senior Communications Advisor

Did someone in your family tree train as a nurse between 1910 and 1964?

New to our collection, as part of a major Department of Health and Human Services records transfer, are nurse training books from Fairfield. Contained within the four volumes that make up the series you can find entries for nurses in training including:
•   Name
•   Age
•   Address
•   Educational qualifications
•   Training details
•   Comments from Tutors and Matrons
•   Some also include photographs of the nurses in uniform.

Trainee nurse Pywell

The two-page entry for Lilian Maud Pywell can be found within the first volume of the series. You can see from this entry the valuable information that researchers can find including the address of her parents, courses she has taken and even a staff photograph. Some of the topics of the lectures that Lilian attended include general nursing, hygiene, infectious diseases and administration. But it’s the second page of Lilian’s entry that provides the most detail into Lilian’s time as a trainee nurse. According to the Sister, Lilian was:

“Quick, methodical, punctual, studious, receptive, neat and obedient. Rather nervous disposition but very sensible, quiet and conscientious. Should make a very good nurse.”

Within the Ward Sisters’ reports you can see that Lilian is patient and kind, though “too short.” “Too short” is a comment peppered throughout the volume. It’s unclear whether the sister in charge means that the period Lilian was under her watch was too short for her to judge performance, or whether she considers Lilian in fact to be too short in height!

Trainee nurse Young

Jean was only 18 when she began as a trainee nurse having had a previous job as a clerk. Again you can see the address of her guardian, education and photograph. The Tutor Sister’s Report states:

“Nurse Young has been very keen and interested and has done good work during the term.” Also “Reliable, energetic, keen. Theatre work excellent.”

The notes end in 1947 when she “finished and left.”

Trainee nurse Collins

The only male nurse within volume one is returned soldier Reginald William Collins who had previously held a secretarial position before training as a nurse at 26 years old. His record isn’t as full and detailed as the other entries, with only five courses listed under lectures and examinations. The Ward Sister wrote:

“I found Nurse Collins eager to learn and very conscientious. Is a very willing worker, and is most anxious to learn. Cheerful. Kind to patients. In my opinion he lacks that sense of kindness and finish in his work which seems to come natural to most female nurses.”

According to The Herald, Collins was the first male nurse at Fairfield!

“Nurse Collins was taken prisoner of war in Malaya, and worked on the Burma-Siam railway… Commenting on nursing as a career for men, Scalpel, the Melbourne Hospital Journal, asks whether they will be known as sister or brother?”

It is noted he finished training and left on the 17th of March 1947.

Department of Health and Human Services records

The nurse training books were part of a four-year transfer of records from the Department of Health and Human Services' Bourke Street facility.

This transfer project was one of the largest ever undertaken at PROV, with even more records still to come! The project included records from a wide variety of former mental health institutions, youth training centres and children's homes. Given the records contain personal information about vulnerable persons, many of the transferred records are currently closed to the public.

However the nurse training books as well as some patient case books, policies and procedures, photographs, drawings and press clippings are currently open and available to order and view in our Reading Room.

One of the photo albums contained within the Langi Kal-Kal Youth Training Centre Photographs, Drawings and Press Clippings, VPRS 17965 P1 Unit 2

One of the photo albums contained within the Langi Kal-Kal Youth Training Centre Photographs, Drawings and Press Clippings, VPRS 17965 P1 Unit 2

The full list of open or part open series recently transferred from the Department of Health and Human Services is as follows:

Mental health institutions and specialist hospitals

Agency number and name	Series name	Date range	Series number	Access
VA 2841 Ararat (Asylum 1867-1905; Hospital for the Insane 1905-1934; Mental Hospital 1934-1993; Training Centre 1966-1993; Ararat Forensic Psychiatry Centre 1991-1997; Training Centre and Mental Hospital known as non-statutory name of Aradale)	Discharge Register of Patients	1867-1966	VPRS 17790	Part Open
	Seclusion Register	1869-1881?	VPRS 18137	Open
	Index to Discharge Register of Patients	1867-1882	VPRS 18139	Open
	Admission and Discharge Register of Patients	1867-1918	VPRS 18140	Part Open
	Outward Letter Books	1884-1939	VPRS 18159	Open
	Register of Inward Correspondence	1872-1953	VPRS 18160	Open
	Circular and Memorandum Book	1900-1922	VPRS 18161	Open
	Administration Outward Letter Books	1868-1939	VPRS 18162	Open
VA 2844 Ballarat (Asylum 1877-1879; 1893-1905; Hospital for the Insane 1905-1934; Mental Hospital 1934-1969; Lakeside Hospital 1969-1996) VA 2843 Sunbury (Asylum 1879-1905; Hospital for the Insane 1905-1934; Mental Hospital 1934-1962; Mental Hospital/Training Centre 1962-1985; Caloola Training Centre 1985-1992)	Case Books of Male Patients	1879-1912	VPRS 7405	Open
VA 2844 Ballarat (Asylum 1877-1879; 1893-1905; Hospital for the Insane 1905-1934; Mental Hospital 1934-1969; Lakeside Hospital 1969-1996)	Case Books of Female Patients	1898-1912	VPRS 7407	Open
	Nominal Register of Patients (Dana Receiving House)	1912-1928	VPRS 17806	Part Open
	Receiving House Outpatients Case Book	1919-1920	VPRS 18136	Open
VA 2842 Beechworth (Asylum 1867-1905; Hospital for the Insane 1905-1934; Mental Hospital 1934-1967; Mayday Hills Mental Hospital 1967-1991; Mayday Hills Psychiatric Hospital 1978-1995)	Case Books of Male Patients	1872-1879	VPRS 7395	Open
	Case Books of Female Patients	1867-1878	VPRS 7396	Open
	Annual Examinations of Patients	1889-1918	VPRS 7410	Open
	Admission and Discharge Register of Patients	1867-1991	VPRS 17846	Part Open
	Discharge Register of Patients	1869-1938	VPRS 17851	Part Open
	Index to Case Books of Male Patients	1867-1912	VPRS 17911	Open
	Nominal Register of Female Patients	1880-1941	VPRS 17913	Open
	Patient Discharge Comments Book	1896-1921	VPRS 17914	Open
	Ward Books of Male Patients	1867-1921	VPRS 17919	Part Open
	Guest Book: Centenary Event	1967	VPRS 17925	Open
	Rules and Orders Books	1877-1960	VPRS 17927	Open
	Minute Books: Various Hospital Committees	1952-1977	VPRS 17928	Open
	Casualty Book	1879-1920	VPRS 17929	Open
	Register of Patients	1867-1929	VPRS 17930	Open
	Pharmaceutical Prescription and Dosage Books	1867-1938	VPRS 17932	Open
	Observation Ward Report Books: Male Patients	1906-1947	VPRS 18101	Part Open
	Restraint and Seclusion Registers	1867-1932	VPRS 18102	Part Open
	Indexes to Case Books and Clinical Notes	c1867-1953?	VPRS 18130	Open
	Register of Complaints Against Staff	1869-1902	VPRS 18154	Part Open
	Register of Inward Correspondence	1922-1968	VPRS 18155	Open
	Outward Letter Books	1936-1937	VPRS 18156	Part Open
	Register of Inward Correspondence, Telegrams	1907-1930	VPRS 18158	Open
	School of Nursing Training Administration Files	1940-1987	VPRS 18221	Open
VA 1231 Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital (previously known as Queen's Memorial Hospital/Fever Hospital 1890-1918; Queen's Memorial Infectious Diseases Hospital 1919-1947; Fairfield Hospital 1948-1969; Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital ?1970-1996)	Statistical Register of Patient Admissions, Discharges and Deaths	1957-1981	VPRS 17794	Open
	Nurse Training Records	1910-1964	VPRS 18163	Part Open
VA 5082 Larundel (Mental Hospital 1953-1991; Receiving House 1953-1959; Psychiatric Hospital 1959-1999)	Admission Procedures and Correspondence Register (Larundel Psychiatric Hospital)	1965-1966	VPRS 17827	Open
	Nominal Register of Patients: Military Patients	1918-1939	VPRS 17869	Open
VA 2846 Mont Park (Hospital for the Insane 1912-1934; Mental Hospital 1934-1991; Psychiatric Hospital 1971-1991)	Physical Condition on Admission Register: Female Patients	1924-1935	VPRS 18141	Open
	Patient Movement Register	1929-1935	VPRS 18153	Open
	Statistical Register of Patients and Staff	1929-1948	VPRS 18191	Open
VA 2845 Royal Park (Receiving House 1907-1959; Hospital for the Insane 1909-1934; Mental Hospital 1934-1954; Psychiatric Hospital 1959-1999)	Admission and Discharge Register of Patients: Recommended Patients (Royal Park Receiving House, Royal Park Psychiatric Hospital)	1909-1941	VPRS 17882	Part Open
	Admission and Discharge Register of Patients (Royal Park Hospital for the Insane, Royal Park Mental Hospital)	1909-1941	VPRS 17893	Part Open
	Orders to Remand a Person in a Receiving House or Ward	1927-1953	VPRS 17933	Part Open
	Case Books: Female Patients (Royal Park Receiving House)	1910-1911	VPRS 18132	Open
	Case Books: Male Patients (Royal Park Receiving House)	1907-1917	VPRS 18133	Open
	Case Books: Female Patients (Royal Park Hospital for the Insane)	1909-1912	VPRS 18134	Open
	Case Books: Male Patients (Royal Park Hospital for the Insane)	1909-1912	VPRS 18135	Open
	Outward Letter Book: Military Patients	1916-1917	VPRS 18165	Open

Youth training centres

Agency number and name	Series name	Date range	Series number	Access
VA 2545 Langi Kal-Kal Youth Training Centre (previously Male Reformatory Prison 1950 to 1965)	Policy and Procedures Manuals	1985-1991	VPRS 17958	Open
	Photographs, Drawings and Press Clippings	1951-1993	VPRS 17965	Open
VA 5116 Parkville Youth Residential Centre (part of the Parkville Youth Justice Precinct from 2009-ct) (also known as Melbourne Youth Residential Centre)	Program Files	1988-2005	VPRS 18077	Open
VA 971 Turana Youth Training Centre (previously known as Turana Reception Centre 1955-1968; Turana Juvenile School 1957-1962)	Instruction Manuals, Procedures and Management Reports	1960-1992	VPRS 17991	Open
VA 5093 Winlaton Youth Training Centre (formerly Winlaton Juvenile School 1956-1962)	Triad Training and Group Work Manual	c1980-c1980	VPRS 18004	Open
	Program and Procedural Manuals and Reports	1977-1991	VPRS 18014	Open
	Superintendent's Subject Files	1965-1990	VPRS 18024	Part Open
	Summary Grant Cards	1984-1991	VPRS 18060	Open
VA 5093 Winlaton Youth Training Centre (formerly Winlaton Juvenile School 1956-1962) VA 5214 Nunawading Youth Residential Centre	Rave Magazines	1976-1992	VPRS 18019	Open

Children's homes and disability centres

Agency number and name

Series name

Date range

Series number

Access

VA 5033 Allambie Reception Centre

Photographs, Newspaper Cuttings and Ephemera

1940-1991

VPRS 17972

Open

VA5118 Pleasant Creek (Pleasant Creek Colony 1937-1969; Pleasant Creek Training Centre 1969-1999)

Employee History Cards

1937-1993

VPRS 18118

Part Open

Departmental records

Agency number and name	Series name	Date range	Series number	Access
VA 1467 Children's Welfare Department 1924-1961 (previously known as Department for Neglected Children 1887-1924), Chief Secretary's Department VA 2784 Social Welfare Branch, Chief Secretary's Department	Street Trading Board Minute Book	1932-1970	VPRS 18192	Open
VA 1028 Department of Youth, Sport and Recreation	Policy Files, Office of Youth Affairs	1956-1985	VPRS 18076	Open
VA 2838 Mental Hygiene Authority VA 692 Mental Health Authority	Minute Book	1952-1978	VPRS 18225	Open
	Committee Minutes	1952-1978	VPRS 18227	Open
VA 2838 Mental Hygiene Authority	Subject Index to Minutes (VPRS 18225)	1952-1974	VPRS 18226	Open
Various	Registers of Inward Correspondence	1932-1972	VPRS 7470	Open
Various	Residential Institutions, Building Records, Site Maps and Plans	1951-1998	VPRS 17986	Open
Various	Trainee Management Forms and Procedures (Sample Only)	1990-1996	VPRS 17948	Open
Various	Voluntary Children's Homes Files	1919-1990	VPRS 18069	Part Open
Various	Departmental Children's Homes Files	1954-1987	VPRS 18072	Part Open

Simply enter the series name into search to find and order these records.