The Viva Cribb Local History Resource Room recently acquired this new addition to our collection detailing the lives of nurses of the Ipswich Hospital. Researched and written by Margaret Cook, “A hard and noble life” is an excellent account of the development of the nurses of the Ipswich Hospital. The book details such things as the building of the first Ipswich Hospital and the nurses that were employed during the early years (1889-1932), the Matron Alice Wilcox era (1933-1967), the Margaret Macfarlane era (1967-1993) and the modern era.

Margaret Cook has undergone extensive research to discover the working conditions of nurses in the early days and their duties, the training they received or undertook, the uniforms that they were required to wear and many other remarkable and interesting experiences of the nurses of Ipswich Hospital. If you would like to browse or borrow a copy of “A hard and noble life” by Margaret Cook, come and visit the Ipswich Library or contact us by phone on (07) 3810 6815.

“A hard and noble life” by Margaret Cook