Sue Burtenshaw (1964)

It was the smallest school that Sue had ever attended, yet it included a school hall and a lawn tennis court. "The Perth Zoo was across the road from the campus and animals could be heard throughout the day, which was an absolute bonus!" 

With her boater hat and gloves, and a few new hills, Sue began her school-day routine with a two-mile cycle to and from the campus. 

Cycling home from school consisted of many exciting deviations, the most memorable being a visit to the auntie of her cycling companion, Dianne. Emptying the contents of her own school bag into Dianne’s meant that Sue could take home the most lovable precious little puppy – to an astoundingly speechless reception! 

These experiences, alongside Sue’s commitment to becoming a Queen’s guide, participating in many camping adventures and being actively involved in St Andrew’s Church activities with family, were wonderful foundations for Sue’s future. 

This broad spectrum of commitments enabled the basics of Sue’s education at MLC South Perth to become well rounded. She developed a thirst for learning, personal growth and new adventures - all of them encouraging ‘caring for others.’ 

This led Sue to her next adventure at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH), training to become a nurse. 

In hindsight, nursing training was an incredible experience that became part of Sue’s being. The ability to walk the hospital tight rope, coping with life and death through the trauma of desperate illness and the joy of recovery, became possible due to Sue’s well-rounded education. 

"It was so vastly different to what is experienced today," Sue said. Sue’s PMH pediatric training was considered to be first class world-wide and enabled the nurses to take on any nursing challenge and to be employed wherever they travelled. 

"The wonders of moving around the southwest, raising a family and working as a nurse in a variety of fields was incredibly rewarding," said Sue. 

Areas such as Silver Chain district and residential care, residential care for the Albany Slow Learning Children’s Group (now known as Activ), getting to know a community through nursing at a rural doctor’s clinic, District Hospital general nursing, specialising in PMH’s ICU, school nursing and childcare, all contributed to Sue’s understanding of the gift of life. 

At that stage the explanation was, “well sometimes these things just happen,” and “when you are ready try again, you should be fine.” They did just that, ensuring that every care was taken. Beverley was born at KEMH and the unbelievable happened, their fourth baby also died at two days of age. 

The next adventure was when Sue’s husband, Doug, was appointed Principal of Dumbleyung District High School. After settling into the town, Sue took on evening duty and night shift nursing at the District Hospital. 

Duties ranged from emergency responses and theatre work, to dancing and singing in the passageway and painting fingernails as distraction therapy for some of the oldies in the middle of the night.

Friends of Music became a major area of interest and, in 1978, Sue took on the pre-computer challenge of organising the 1987 Eisteddfod. "It was a delightfully rewarding experience with the talents of each musician earning House points, as well as attaining performance experience and having fun!"

When Doug was appointed Foundation Principal of Tranby College, the Uniting Church bought a bare acreage of land in Baldivis. The College project office for the new school was in the front section of Sue's and Doug's new home in Safety Bay.

About seven years later, Sue returned to the outer suburbs to be near her grandchildren and care for her aging mother. It also gave her the opportunity to become more involved with the PMH Ex Trainees and Nursing Associates. 

The nursing school, known as 3/65, went as a group to the Association’s AGM in 2013. The current committee felt unable to continue in their roles, so Sue was promoted to President. Little did she know, this decision would take her on quite a journey.

A huge ‘Farewell to PMH’ brought together nearly 200 ex-trainees from around Australia. This was followed by the decision to make a substantial gift to the new Perth Children’s Hospital.

The fundraising, gifts in kind, and a grant that Sue was awarded, raised the necessary $100,000 to see the 'Healing in its Wings' gift dedicated and unveiled in September 2018. 

"It portrays the family as the central focus embraced within the tree of life and supported by the founders and volunteers from its inception, through to the staff over the years, and the symbols of many faiths and cultures, interwoven with indigenous recognition and many native creatures for the children to find." 

The Children’s Hospital – PMH journey became part of this beautiful artwork, and suddenly it became evident that what was needed was the story of this journey to be told in print. 

The PMH Volunteers Association was soon to be disbanded. Over the years these volunteers had made a huge contribution to the hospital, in kind and financially. Their stories also needed to be recorded.

Betty Cox, a past headmistress of MLC Junior School, and Patron of the Volunteers, gave her blessing for Sue to use her notes as a basis for some of the early records taken from the Hospital’s Annual reports through to the early 1980s. 

PMH Remembered 1897 – 2018 was launched on 9 March 2024. It is a 460 A4 landscaped page book, containing 1,128 photos and stories of great joy and heartbreaking sadness. 

"The ambience of this Church helped people to feel the passion of these deeply motivated Christian and Jewish communities who established an urgently needed Children’s Hospital for the sick children of poor families." 

"My message to all students at Penrhos is to be prepared to take on tasks that at first sight seem to be beyond your scope. Respect all people, especially those who have enabled you to experience life at Penrhos, and those who need your care.

If you see that something is wrong, then do something to right that wrong. Whichever path you take, remember this simple message..."