The first nursing class at Hawkesbury Agricultural College back in 1984 consisted of 80 students, and a team of researchers are looking for people involved in that class to put together the first ever history of nursing on the Hawkesbury Campus.
Leading the research effort is Professor Mavis Bickerton, the first Head of School of Nursing on the Hawkesbury Campus, who is appealing to Hawkesbury residents to get in touch with her if they were involved in nursing studies on the Hawkesbury Campus between 1984 and 1990.
HAC is now part of Western Sydney University, where nursing has grown to encompass 1,315 enrollments on the Hawkesbury Campus in 2019, with a total of 4,804 enrollments in nursing across WSU campuses.
Professor Bickerton said she wanted to gather stories from former students who were involved with the early nursing program.
In particular, she'd like to speak to the interview subjects featured in a 1985 Hawkesbury Gazette article titled 'Nursing studies course to boost college role in west' (pictured).
Professor Bickerton was responsible for introducing the Diploma of Applied Science (Nursing) then the Bachelor of Health Science (Nursing) at HAC together with then-Principal of the College Dr Graham Swain.
Professor Bickerton is working with WSU on this project, which is the first effort to capture the history of HAC nursing.
If you were an early graduate of the HAC nursing program, get in touch with Professor Bickerton at mavis.bickerton@bigpond.com.
Sarah Falson
Daily Liberal journalist. I love telling people's stories. Get in touch at sarah.falson@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Daily Liberal journalist. I love telling people's stories. Get in touch at sarah.falson@austcommunitymedia.com.au
