MEDIA RELEASE
October 22, 2013
Historic nurses’ medals handed in
Christchurch Hospital’s Department of Nursing hope to find the owner or relatives of three historic nurses’ medals that
were found at the University of Otago, Christchurch recently.
Mary Gordon, Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) Executive Director of Nursing, says the discovery is understood to
have been made when someone found the medals hidden in the back of a safe.
The three medals are: a NZ Registered Nurses’ medal; a NZ Maternity medal; and a London International College of Nurses’
medal. All are engraved with the name or initials of Gwendoline M. Williamson or Williams and dated 1915, 1920 and 1937
respectively.
“They were brought into the Department of Nursing at Christchurch Hospital in the hope we might be able to track down
the owner or a family member and return these precious heirlooms,” Ms Gordon says.
“It would be lovely if someone who has known Gwendoline or her family could come forward to claim these medals, as I’m
sure they carry a lot of sentimental value.”
The CDHB will hold the medals for six months but if unclaimed by May next year, they will be donated to the Cotter
Medical History Trust.
Anyone who has information about the owner of the medals should email communications@cdhb.health.nz
ENDS