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Oral Histories of British Columbia Nurses

In 1987 in celebration its 75th anniversary, an oral history project to record the experiences of BC nurses was initiated by RNABC – later CRNBC. The History of Nursing Professional Practice Group, now the BC History of Nursing Society, took over this project when the group was established in 1989. The taped recordings were placed in the RNABC library and copies given to us for our archives. Since 2008, all recordings have been saved on CDs. Interviews on cassette tapes are being transferred as MP3 files and saved on our computer.

In 2015, the entire RNABC/CRNBC collection was gifted to us.  There are 210 interviews in this collection.

The entire collection of oral histories have now been transferred to UBC Library Rare Books and Special Collections.  To have access to listen to any of the oral histories you may click on the link: https://rbsc.library.ubc.ca/visiting/

We are pleased to share 3 interviews with you.
A full list of available recordings can be found here.

Elinor Knudson

  • Click HERE to listen to an in-depth interview with Elinor Knudson (Aprox 50 minutes)
  • Link will open in a new window
  • This is a large file and may take a few seconds to open

Nan Martin

  • Click HERE to listen to an in-depth interview with Nan Martin (Aprox 60 minutes)
  • Link will open in a new window
  • This is a large file and may take a few seconds to open

Kathy Murphy

  • Click HERE to listen to an in-depth interview with Kathy Murphy (Aprox 50 minutes)
  • Link will open in a new window
  • This is a large file and may take a few seconds to open

To access original material and listen to interviews,  click on the link: https://rbsc.library.ubc.ca/visiting/

RBSC Archivist, and digital copies could be available if requested.

  1. Grace Adamson
  2. Barbara Anderson
  3. Roaxy Anderson
  4. Louise Avery
  5. Rebecca Bancroft
  6. Eileen Barclay
  7. Annie Barnes
  8. Frances Benedict
  9. Phyllis Bernez
  10. Ethel Black
  11. Lois Blais
  12. Alice Bland
  13. Geraldine Boatness
  14. Helen Bollon
  15. Elizabeth Braund
  16. Patricia Brydon
  17. Marjorie Brown
  18. Thelma Brown
  19. James Bullen
  20. Margaret (Nancy) Bunn
  21. Marie Burroughs
  22. Margaret Calvert
  23. Helen Campbell
  24. Joyce Campbell
  25. Joyce Campkin
  26. Angela Carberry
  27. Barbara Carroll
  28. Joan Carruthers
  29. Elizabeth Cawston
  30. Christine Charter
  31. Jean Cicceri
  32. Edith Clark
  33. Grace Clarke
  34. Elizabeth Clement
  35. Mildred Cowan
  36. Lavinia Crane
  37. Hazel Creamer
  38. Lyle Creelman
  39. Kenneth Cunningham
  40. Joyce Currie
  41. Chezuko Diemert
  42. Grace Donald
  43. Joan Doree
  44. Jean Dorgan
  45. Florence Dougherty
  46. Muriel Down
  47. Beverly DuGas
  1. Deidre Duggan
  2. Sheila Early
  3. Ida Elliott
  4. Flora Evans
  5. Jean Fernie
  6. Mary Fisher
  7. Margaret Fletcher
  8. Isabel Ford
  9. Alice Fowler
  10. Ethel Freeman
  11. Esther Gardom
  12. Helen Gemeroy
  13. Ada George
  14. Dorothy D’Arcy Goldrick
  15. Christine Grant
  16. Stephany Grasset
  17. Trilby Green
  18. Trudy Greer
  19. Helen Grice
  20. Minnie Hackett
  21. Bernice Hatcher
  22. Jeanette Heathorn
  23. Louise Hemming
  24. Mary Henderson
  25. Kathleen Hodgson
  26. Alice Horsman
  27. Trenna Hunter
  28. Florence Innis
  29. Margaret Janzen
  30. Anne Jenkins
  31. Janet Johnson
  32. Jean Ellen Keays
  33. Catherine Keith
  34. Shirley Kelly
  35. Nan Kennedy
  36. Dorothy Kergin
  37. Dolores Kilpatrick
  38. Helen King
  39. Eleanor Kunderman
  40. Gertrude Langridge
  41. Geraldine Langton
  42. Joan Lansdell
  43. Geraldine La Pointe
  44. June Layhew
  45. Edith Lees
  46. Mary Lewis
  47. Clara Lim
  1. Lillian Loeppky
  2. Dorothy Logan
  3. Marie Logan
  4. Peggy Lynch
  5. Bernice Macdonald
  6. Elsie Macdonald
  7. Karin MacMillan
  8. Shirley McAllister
  9. Vivienne McConnell
  10. Hazel McCrae
  11. Ruth McIlraith
  12. Shirley McIntyre
  13. Margaret McLean
  14. Juanita McLennan
  15. Marion McLeod
  16. Debra McPherson
  17. Margaret Mainwaring
  18. Trudy Mantoiani
  19. Nan Martin
  20. Enid Matheson
  21. Kathy Matusiak
  22. Katherine Maxwell
  23. Doris Mellish
  24. Sadie Merrick
  25. Jessie Middleton
  26. Military Nursing Sisters
  27. Florence Moffat
  28. Alice Moillet
  29. Pat Morse
  30. Kathy Murphy
  31. Doris Murray
  32. Helen Mussallem
  33. Helen Mutrie
  34. Elizabeth Neil
  35. June Newton
  36. Margaret Neylan
  37. Pat Parr
  38. Nora Paton
  39. Esther Paulson
  40. Phyllis Payton
  41. Inga Perkin
  42. Winnifred Phillips
  43. Muriel Plattsby
  44. Marguerite Porter
  45. Jean Powell
  46. Dorothy Proudfoot
  47. Elsie Ransom
  1. Mary Richmond
  2. Betty Robertson
  3. Mary Rodgers
  4. Dr. P. Rodney
  5. Edna Rossiter
  6. Mary Rudge
  7. Nina Rumen
  8. Celia Runka
  9. Terry Schnurr
  10. Dianne Sharpe
  11. Betty Short
  12. Dorothy Slaughter
  13. Alice Smith
  14. Marion Smith
  15. Roselyn Smith
  16. Winifred Spalding
  17. Verna Splane
  18. Sara Staples
  19. Gloria Stephens
  20. Norah Stevens
  21. Margaret Street
  22. Beatrice Stroyan
  23. Frances Sutherland
  24. Anna Swail
  25. Doris Swift
  26. Alice Taylor
  27. Marjorie Thiessen
  28. Marjorie Thompson
  29. Ethel Thomson
  30. Ferne Trout
  31. Winifred Uttke
  32. Evelyn Waddell
  33. Ethel Wait
  34. Marian Walker
  35. Elsie Waugh
  36. Vida Wellwood
  37. Lois Whalley
  38. Eva Williamson
  39. Marilyn Willman
  40. Mary Woolam
  41. Bea Wood
  42. Vi Woodward
  43. Alice Wright
  44. Anne Wylie
  45. Alison Wyness
  46. Betty Wynne
  47. Ruth Yeandle
  48. Sheila Zerr