Discover Greta's narrative through a meticulously assembled array of blogs, which have been thoughtfully contributed to the State Library of Queensland. These blogs were created through initial research and inquiry by Blackall State School Students, led by Miss Avril Fazel and the Blackall Historical Society.
Discover Sister Towner through the lens of Historypin, a platform connecting communities with their local history. Visit the various pins in the ‘Blackall to Battle and Back: Sister Greta Towner’ collection to gain deeper insights into a wide range of original artifacts and diverse lines of inquiry.
This dedicated Facebook group serves as an information hub for individuals interested in learning more about the development of the memorial statue project and Sister Towner. It is a platform intended for the dissemination of project-related information and knowledge sharing. Please feel free to invite friends and family into the group.
Formed in 2011, we are a Melbourne-based community organisation committed to raising awareness of Lemnos' role in the Gallipoli campaign as well as the Hellenic connection to Australia's Anzac tradition across both world wars.
Explore the wealth of resources available in "Beyond 1914 — The University of Sydney and the Great War", where Sister Greta Towner studied on her return to Australia after the war. This comprehensive and easily searchable database contains a vast array of biographies and archival materials, shedding light on the individuals associated with the University who played a role in the First World War.
Year 4, 5 and 6 students stopped, reflected and wrote some beautiful poems about the women who served in war, which were included in the 'She too Served - Women in War' Display. Their inspiration was developed through looking at the faces and hearing the stories of some local Blackall women. We thank the Blackall Historical Society for their support in supplying our community with some amazing imagery. Please note that each poem has a QR Code in the bottom left corner, scan this code to hear the poem narrated by its author over local service women's imagery.
In 2015, Cooper Hauff, a year 8 student from Blackall State School was involved in the research into Sister Greta Norman Towner’s life.
Inspired by his involvement in the State Library of Queensland Q ANZAC 100 – Memories for a New Generation History Pin project, which saw him involved in producing a video on Sister Towner’s life and interpreting a range of historical content, he entered the Premier’s Anzac Prize, 2016.
This prize saw eight Queensland students selected to travel to Gallipoli to attend Anzac Day services in 2016 and travel onto the Western Front, visiting First World War historical sites.
Cooper was one of eight students chosen to attend. His friend Bayley Williams also was awarded a position in 2015.
In 2014, year 8 Blackall State School student Bayley Williams produced this award-winning entry for the Premier's Anzac Prize.
The video identifies how Bayley saw the Anzac Spirit being represented and on the need to remember, he references the extraordinary actions of Lt Edgar Towner.
His winning entry saw 70 Queensland students attend the Centenary of Gallipoli Commemorative Service and then travel across the Western Front in 2015.
Kitty's War is based upon the previously unpublished diaries of Great War army nurse Sister Kit McNaughton. Kit and historian Janet Butler grew up in the same part of regional Victoria, except many decades apart.
Kitty's War is based upon the previously unpublished diaries of Great War army nurse Sister Kit McNaughton. Kit and historian Janet Butler grew up in the same part of regional Victoria, except many decades apart. The idea of this young nurse setting out in July 1915 on a journey that would take her across the world and into the First World War took hold of Janet Butler and inspired her to research and share Kit's story.
This decisive and dryly humorous woman embarked upon the troopship Orsova in 1915. Kit's absorbing diary follows her journey through war from Egypt, where she cared for the Gallipoli wounded, to Lemnos Island off the coast of the Dardanelles and then on to France and the Somme. Kit finished active service as Australia's first plastic surgery nurse, assisting medical pioneers in this field as they repaired the shattered faces of Australian soldiers.
Through Kit's diary and Janet butler's thoughtful narration, we see the war through the eyes of a young Australian nurse as she is transformed by what she witnesses. This is an intimate and rare story of one woman's remarkable experience of war.
An authoritative history book on the role that Lemnos played in the Gallipoli Campaign including over 300 original photographs, most of which were taken by Australian soldiers on Lemnos.
This book tells of the distinctively Hellenic connection to Australia's Gallipoli story through the reproduction of many of these photographs, many taken by soldiers and nurses themselves, and interpreting them with the words recorded in letters and diaries of these Australians who walked on Lemnos in 1915. Not only have many of these photographs never been published before, but this is the first time that such a comprehensive selection of photographs of Lemnos during the Gallipoli campaign has been published together, a fitting tribute to the importance of Lemnos in Anzac history.
The compelling narrative behind the realisation of the Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial, a testament to the visionary journey orchestrated by Peter Corlett. This booklet chronicles the evolution of the memorial, an emblematic tribute that has now materialized into a poignant reality.
Envisioned as a place of pilgrimage and reflection, the Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial embodies the essence of the Lemnos link to Anzac. It pays homage to the courageous nurses, the soldiers who sought respite or recovery, and the unwavering support of the Lemnians and other Hellenes during wartime. It especially honours the 148 Australians, among the one thousand Allied war dead, who rest on the grounds of Lemnos to this day.