The Australian College of Nursing Foundation today announced the 22 recipients of the 2026 Bullwinkel Scholars Program, honouring the enduring legacy of the nurses lost in the Bangka Island Massacre on 16 February 1942, and the sole survivor, Lieutenant Colonel Vivian Bullwinkel AO MBE ARRC ED FNM FRCNA.
The Bullwinkel Scholars Program is a prestigious scholarship initiative that provides recipients with access to leadership training and development opportunities that mirror the resilience, courage, and dedication embodied by the original nurses of the 8th Australian General Hospital.
On 16 February 1942, 21 nurses from the 8th Australian General Hospital were executed by Japanese forces on Radji Beach, Bangka Island, following the sinking of the SS Vyner Brooke.
Lieutenant Colonel Vivian Bullwinkel was the sole survivor. Her courage – and her decision to speak publicly about the massacre – ensured the world would never forget what happened on that beach.
Eighty-four years later, the ACN Foundation honours their sacrifice not only through remembrance, but through action, by investing in the leadership of tomorrow’s nurses.
Each scholarship has been individually matched to one of the 22 nurses. The ACN Foundation wishes to congratulate the following deserving Bullwinkel Scholars:
| Bullwinkel Scholar Recipient | |
| Alexandra McGlynn | Matron Irene Melville Drummond FACN |
| Associate Professor Jason Mills FACN | Sister Ellen Nell Louisa Keats FACN |
| Captain Krezeil Lacorte | Lieutenant Florence ‘Flo’ Rebecca Casson FACN |
| Dr Amanda Graf MACN | Sister Bessie Wilmott FACN |
| Emily Mishal | Sister Elaine Balfour-Ogilvy FACN |
| Emma Smith | Sister Minnie Ivy Hodgson FACN |
| Fang Liu | Sister Mary Elizabeth ‘Beth’ Cuthbertson FACN |
| James Somerville | Lieutenant Lorna Florence Fairweather FACN |
| Jazmyn Bambie | Sister Mona Margaret Anderson Tait FACN |
| Jenifer Barreto Arroyave | Sister Janet ‘Jenny’ Kerr FACN |
| Jessica Heath | Sister Nancy Harris FACN |
| Katie Gregory | Sister Mary Eleanor Ellie McGlade FACN |
| Khushdeep Randhawa | Sister Clarice Halligan FACN |
| Kylee Ross MACN | Sister Dorothy Gwendoline ‘Buddy’ Elmes FACN |
| Major Lee-Ann Pine | Sister Florence Aubin Salmon FACN |
| Nyn Parthan | Sister Alma May Beard FACN |
| Odette Teerink | Sister Peggy Everett Farmaner FACN |
| Olga Novak MACN | Sister Kathleen Margaret Neuss FACN |
| Renee Deleuil MACN | Sister Ada Joyce Bridge FACN |
| Samantha Elrick MACN | Sister Rosetta Joan Wight FACN |
| Squadron Leader Koryn Roberts MACN | Sister Esther Sarah Jean ‘Stewie’ Stewart FACN |
| ACN Lt Col Vivian Bullwinkel Study Travel Scholarship Recipient | |
| Karen Tuqiri MACN | Lieutenant Colonel Vivian Bullwinkel DLF |
The 2026 Bullwinkel Scholarships have been made possible through the generosity of supporting partners, the Department of Health, Disability, and Ageing, and the Department of Defence; founding partner, Aspen Medical; as well as donors to the ACN Foundation. These partnerships reflects a shared belief that investing in nurse leaders is one of the most meaningful ways to honour the nurses who came before us.
The ACN Foundation urges Australians to support the future of nursing leadership by making a donation. Every contribution helps ensure that the Bullwinkel Scholars Program continues to honour the past and strengthen the future of healthcare in Australia.
More information on each of the 2026 Bullwinkel Scholars may be found here.
