OBITUARY South Coast Bulletin Friday 12th April 1940

LATE MRS. T. GAWN

The death occurred yesterday of Mrs. Annabella Gawn, of Nerang, at the age of 70. The late Mrs. Gawn had resided in the district for the past 30 years, and her passing will be mourned by a large circle of friends, in 'both Nerang and Southport, with whom she held more
than a passing interest. She held an outstanding reputation as a nurse .

Born at Prahran, in Victoria, her maiden name was Miss Annabella Emmins, she was trained as a nurse at the Melbourne Hospital. In 1896 she went to Western Australia to join the Rev. G. W. Rower 'Sisters' of the People.' She travelled acrossthe continent on a lemonade cart, which was long before the advent ofthe railways, to what is known as the old camp Coolgardie. With another Sister, she was nursing miners and dry-blowers, in hessian tents, who had contracted enteric fever.

Afterwards she joined the West Australian Nursing Sisters' for the South African war and served for the duration. Following the war she took charge of the childrens' ward at the new Somerset. Hospital, Capetown, and fn 1909 resigned to come to Brisbane, where she married Mr.Thomas Gawn. With her husband, Mrs. Gawn lived at Drillham and Cooran before coming to Nerang, where they carried on business as general storekeepers.

She was noted for her charitable work and was actively associated with a number of public bodies. The late Mrs. Gawn was a warden of St. Margaret's Church of England for a number of years, and a teacher, at the Sunday School. She was also an honorary ambulance bearer, and a vice-president of the Southport CWA.

Four years ago she had the misfortune to lose a leg and was confined to an invalid chair. She is survived by her husband.

Burial took place at the Nerang cemetery at 2 p.m. this afternoon.

Australian Nurses in the Boer War

Matron Annabelle Gawn (nee Emmins) was a widely respected nurse in the South Coast district during the first half of the twentieth century.

She was born in Prahran, Victoria in approximately 1870 and trained as a nurse at the Melbourne Hospital. In 1896 she went to Western Australia to join Rev. G. W. Rower’s ‘Sisters of the People’. She travelled across the country on a lemonade cart to Coolgardie where she worked in hessian tents caring for men in the gold fields who had contracted typhoid.

Annabelle also served as a West Australian Nursing Sister during Boer War in South Africa. Departing Albany on board the Salamis on 21 March 1900, she arrived in Cape Town before being moved to Estcourt in the Natal area to work as part of the colonial contingent of nurses associated with the British Army. After the war ended, she remained in South Africa as a nurse at the Somerset Children’s Hospital in Cape Town. In 1909 she returned to Brisbane where she married Thomas Gawn.

Thomas and Annabelle moved to Nerang where they lived and worked at their general store on the corner of Price and Lavelle Streets. During the 1930s they sold the business and established a new one further along Price Street. During her time in Nerang, Annabelle continued nursing in a private hospital which consisted of four rooms attached to the back of her home in Price Street and was often the first to provide medical assistance at the scene of local accidents including the explosion at the Nerang Quarry in 1926. Nurse Gawn was an honorary ambulance bearer and her private hospital an honorary ambulance centre. The nearest doctor, Dr Berry, was based in Southport and was called for emergencies.

Annabella Gawn was noted for her charitable work including warden of St Margaret’s Church of England and a teacher at Sunday school. She was also a vice president of the Southport Country Womens Association

After her death, in 1940 at the age of 70, the people of Nerang erected a plaque for her grave at Nerang Cemetery inscribed with ‘She did what she could’.