Interviewed by Audrey Stegen July 14, 1987. Interview 79.

Interviewed by Elizabeth Kirkwood December 15, 1988. Interview 123.

Interviewed by Lois Blais March 27, 2004, and October 7, 2004. Interview 182.

Interviewed by Lois Blais March 27, 2004, and October 7, 2004. Interview 182.

CD contains MP3 audio file. Interviewed by Ethel Warbinek in Vancouver April 23, 2010. Interview 201.

CD contains photographs. Interviewed by Inga von Maydell in Delta December 11, 2006. Interview 193. Includes two digital photographs. Audio file not located on CD.

Interviewed by Sheila Zerr September 22, 1998. Interview 161.

Interviewed by Sheila Zerr September 22, 1998. Interview 161.

Interviewed by Barbara Teahen November 25, 1987. Interview 94.

Interviewed by Ethel Warbinek in White Rock, July 31, 2006. Interview 176.

Interviewed by Myrtle Haslam September 15, 1987. Interview 70.

No recording available. Interviewed by Beth McCann June 5, 1981. Partial transcript is in School of Nursing subfonds.

Interviewed by Nina Rumen October 20, 1987 and November 23, 1988. Interview 89.

Interviewed by Ethel Warbinek July 10, 2002. Interview 180.

Interviewed by Ethel Warbinek January 20, 2003. Interview 168.

The fonds consists of 22.89 m of textual records, ca. 2650 photographs and extensive audiovisual materials created and/or accumulated by the British Columbia History of Nursing Society (BCHNS). The BCHNS Archives established and organized records into broad groups: fonds/subfonds, collections, biographical files, oral histories and miscellaneous materials. These categories of records have been arranged as subfonds and series under the BCHNS fonds.

Materials related to the society include records created by the group in the course of its administrative activities, and accumulated in its function of preserving material related to the history of nursing in British Columbia and elsewhere. Much of the material has a historical value, both in regard to B.C. nursing, and farther afield. A brief history of the Registered Nurses Association of British Columbia is included. While there are some earlier records, most date from 1985 to 2012. The records of several committees that made annual reports to the BCHNPPG are included. For example, the Oral History Committee was established in 1981 to document the development of nursing and to capture some of the stories and activities of B.C. nurses. The Memorial Nursing Portrait Collection committee was established in 1990 to raise money for the History of Nursing Scholarship fund and to provide a lasting visual memorial for a friend or family member. Histories of hospitals and individuals are also documented. Events, programs and displays are documented through graphic, audio and textual material. Reference material includes newsletters, records related to Florence Nightingale and the roles played by nurses in war. Postcards and other historical materials more generally related to nursing are also included. Fundraising initiatives, and financial records are also included along with membership information and activities.

Records not related to the formation and ongoing functions of the B.C. History of Nursing Society are divided into 35 subfonds. While the subfonds do not generally relate to specific functions of the BCHNS, they all contribute to a general understanding of individuals and groups of nurses who have contributed to the development of nursing in British Columbia. Many individuals are represented in more than one area of the larger fonds.

The original collections consist of 5.6 m of textual records and graphic materials, audiovisual material and an extensive reference library. The textual records include a comprehensive collection of UBC student cards from 1921 to 1994, several diplomas and certificates, and conference related materials. Records from the Kootenay Lake Hospital, the Kelowna General Hospital and the Prince Rupert General Hospital consist of nursing manuals, training schedules and ledgers. Extensive photographs document historical and educational displays prepared and presented by the BCHNS. Many audiovisual materials contain records created by the Society or provide general reference information. The reference library contains books concentrating primarily on B.C nursing and will be catalogued and made available separately.

Biographical files consist of 2.4 m of textual records and ca. 382 photographs related to nurses who have made significant contributions to their profession in British Columbia. Files include records related to the person’s life and career, photographs, copies of publications, memories and biographical information and other records relating to nursing activities in B.C. An item level contents list is located at the front of each file. A full index of the files, which includes a brief biography of each subject and the file contents is available in RBSC-ARC-1831-102-15.

The oral histories consists of recordings on ca. 320 audio cassettes, 72 CDs and related textual records. These interviews date from 1987 to 2013 and are arranged alphabetically by the subject’s last name. Many interviews exist in multiple formats or have multiple cassettes and/or CDs. A small portion of interviews of high quality and enduring interest have been copied to MP3 format, these materials will be made available upon request. Hard copy summaries are arranged alphabetically in this series. A detailed index of all the oral histories is located in RBSC-ARC-1831-013-13, which includes interviewer and interviewee names, topics discussed, date of recording and other relevant information.

The original 34 subfonds have been retained and arranged as such under the BCHNS fonds. A 2022 accrual added the Richmond-Delta Professional Practice Group subfonds. Records of the society are arranged in the following series:

1. Formation of the BCHNPPG
2. Annual General Membership Meeting files
3. Committee records
4. BCHNPPG chapter groups
5. Events, programs and displays
6. BCHNPG fundraising
7. History of the RNABC and its membership
8. RNABC
9. Published and reference material
10. Artifacts
11. Financial records
12. [Original Collections]
13. [Biographical Files]
14. [Oral Histories]
15. [Artifacts]

BCHNS member Beverly Witter Du Gas. Dr. Beverly Witter Du Gas received the Order of B.C. in 1999. With her, left, are BC Premier Glen Clark and the Honorable Garde Gardom, Lieutenant Governor of BC. Dr. Du Gas was the founding president of BCHNS and was a member until her death in 2012. Official photograph from the presentation ceremonies in Victoria.

BCHNS members Dr. Beverly Witter Du Gas and Sheila Rankin Zerr. At the Society

BCHNS members Helen Shore (left) and Ethel Warbinek. At the Society

BCHNS members Ruth McIlrath (right) and unidentified. At a Society

BCHNS members L to R: Sheila Rankin Zerr, Lois Blais, and Anna Tremere. BCHNS Members dressed in historical costumes, probably for a CNA dinner during the CNA biennial meeting in Vancouver in June 2000. Sheila Zerr is dressed as Jeanne Mance; Lois Blais as Florence Nightingale; and Anna Tremere is wearing an historical psychiatric nursing uniform circa 1900. Official BCHNS photograph taken by BCHNS Member Beth Fitzpatrick.

L to R: Ruth McIlrath, unknown, Edith Landells Lees, Joan Doree, unknown. BCHNS members and Nursing Sisters at a BCHNS Remembrance Day Luncheon in November 2001 or 2002 or 2003. Taken at a Remembrance Day Luncheon sponsored by BCHNS. McIlrath, Lees, and Doree were BCHNS Members as well as Nursing Sisters, and the other two were Nursing Sisters who attended the lunch. Official BCHNS photograph taken by BCHNS Member Beth Fitzpatrick.

BCHNS Member Jill Thompson with a display on Florence Nightingale in the BCHNS Display Case at the RNABC Board Room. Official BCHNS photographs taken by BCHNS Member Beth Fitzpatrick.

BCHNS Members Sheila Zerr and Beth Fitzpatrick with a display book prepared for a BCHNS AGM held at the Hyatt Hotel in conjunction with an RNABC AGM. Zerr was President of the BCNHS at this time. Photos of Fitzpatrick are relatively rare. Official photographer for BCHNS.

File contains pamphlet and photographs of the display.

File contains textual records and photographs related to the display.

File contains textual records and photographs related to the display.

File contains textual records and photographs related to the display.

File contains certificate and accompanying correspondence. Graduation Certificate in Public Nursing (UBC), Louise Elizabeth Buckley was the first person to receive this certificate.

June Newron and Margaret Mainwaring seated. Shirley Riddalls at podium.

Under the supervision of a sister-tutor a nurse lays sterilized dressings on a trolley for use in the surgical ward. As part of her training she will watch the dressings being applied by the ward sister or senior nurse.

A State-Enrolled Assistant Nurse attends a paralyzed patient in her home. The chair-like apparatus enables her to move the patient easily from the bed to the chair.

A nurse and patient in a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients. Fresh air and rest is part of the treatment for this disease, for which special nursing care is needed.

In a mental hospital a nurse watches a patient as the electrical impulses of the brain are recorded. This is a highly specialized branch of nursing requiring knowledge of modern scientific treatments.

Using a model a sister-tutor explains the anatomy of the ear to student nurses in a country hospital in Britain. In the class are nurses from Sierra Leone and Trinidad.

Information on guidelines for nursing scholarships, including application forms and minutes of the scholarship committee.

Individuals identified left to right: unknown, unknown, Nina Rumen, Monica Green, Glennis Zilm, unknown, Edith Lees.

Photographs are duplicates. Individuals identified left to right: Ethel Warbinek; Don Ransom; Glennis Zilm; unidentified woman in gray; unidentified woman in red top [hidden by woman in pink top in foreground]; unidentified woman in pink top (possibly from SJH Nurses