Discovering Local Treasures through the Lakes District Museum Digitisation Project
The impact of the Impact100 Digitisation Suite at the Lakes District Museum is growing, as old dusty files are opened to reveal more local treasure. Along with the recipe of a local beer, stories of war heroes, and a very thin copy of the first newspaper from 1851 is the story of Nora FitzGibbon.
“A collection of Nora’s papers were filed in the document files under one number and hadn’t been digitised,” says Museum Director, Jane Peasey. “When the file was pulled out to be scanned we discovered a treasure trove”
Hanorah (Nora) Philomena FitzGibbon was born at Arrow Junction on 19 March 1889. She attended the convent in Arrowtown, where her dedication to serving others began. At 16, after working as a nurse’s aide, Nora completed her training and became the first nurse at Karitane Home for Babies at Andersons Bay in Dunedin and a sister at Christchurch Hospital in 1913.
At the outbreak of the First World War, Nora was among the first 12 New Zealand nurses to serve in Egypt, working mainly in base hospitals and ambulance trains near the front lines. Though later called the 'Forgotten Twelve,' her distinguished service earned her a handwritten note from King George V, which we hold in our collection.
After returning from war, Nora became a theatre nurse and completed midwifery and Plunket nursing training. She served as matron of Karitane–Harris Hospital in Dunedin, and in 1934, was appointed Plunket Society’s nursing adviser.
In recognition of her already distinguished career, in 1939, Nora was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire. The invitation and the certificate she received are both held by Lakes District Museum. However, her dedication to the nursing profession extended well beyond this accolade. She would go on to serve as president of the New Zealand Registered Nurses' Association, co-author Modern Mothercraft, Plunket’s influential childcare manual, establish the Dunedin Catholic Nurses' Guild and represent New Zealand nursing on the International Council of Nurses.
Nora passed away in 1979 at the age of 90.
“Discovering her life of achievements is just one example of how valuable this digitisation project is for our community. We are so grateful for the Impact100 grant that is allowing us to bring Nora’s story and the stories of others to light.”
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