Page 12 - QARANC Vol 19 No 1 2021
P. 12
10 The Gazette QARANC Association
Department of Healthcare Education Virtual Remembrance Service
In many ways, this year more than ever we can appreciate the enormity of the sacrifices made by those who came before us. As we, for the secondtimethisyear,adapttolifein lockdown, we each continue to play a small part in protecting one another and the nation amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. For many, the restrictions meant that traditional Remembrance Day parades and ceremonies couldn’t take place, requiring some resourcefulness and adaptability to pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Thanks to the modern-day technology that has become increasingly central to our everyday lives, the Department of Healthcare Education (DHE) was able to take our Remembrance service online.
Organised and facilitated by DHE Student Nurse Corporal Danny Bushnell-Shilling, the service combined several live and pre-recorded video messages from the tri-service students and staff of DHE and QARNNS, QARANC and PMRAFNS veterans. It was an honour to hear from retired personnel Lieutenant Colonel (Retd) Merrill Bate, Major (Retd) Kay Foster, retired Captain Dr Jan Westbury, retired PONN Gill Nicholls and retired NN Rosemary Webb, who each kindly offered their personal thoughts and memoirs of their time in the service.
Camaraderie was a running theme mentioned by several of the guest speakers, suggesting the importance of the relationships we make and
rely upon in times of hardship, stress and adversity. The six C’s of nursing were emphasised: care, compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment, all concepts depended upon during war times and humanitarian efforts to indiscriminately look after anyone in need, including each other.
Retired PONN Gill Nicholls finished with a beautiful recital of Elizabeth Frye’s ‘Do Not Stand at my Grave and Weep’. The poem reminds us that those loved ones who are no longer with us in the physical sense remain all around and can be felt always and everywhere, continuing to shape, strengthen and comfort us. The idea was echoed in Corporal Bushnell- Shilling’s explanation of the Last Post and the Sounding of Reveille, which in times of memorial signifies a soldier’s soul reawakening on a new day.
DHE trainees from the fields of nursing, bio-medical science, ODP and radiology gave their accounts of what Remembrance Day means for them. A compilation of images and voice recordings was played, as well as speeches from Lance Corporal Ghabe Yengwia and AB Leah Badger. There was a sense of pride from all who spoke with several reflecting on their backgrounds and recounting stories of their family members, hometowns and nations that contributed to the war efforts, demonstrating the strength gained through the diverse backgrounds of those who come together to serve.
A print of Private Herbert’s Remembrance Day 2020 Artwork can be purchased by emailing him directly at Herbert.Art@outlook.com
Another outstanding DHE trainee contribution was provided by Private James Herbert who created a drawing that represents both nursing in 2020 and the sacrifices made by service men and women in the past. Prints of the drawing featuring a nurse in PPE and poppies and soldiers in the background were made available to purchase with proceeds donated to the Royal British Legion and the QA Association.
With over 200 personnel logged on to the service from homes and workplaces, minor technical issues were par for the course but were handled smoothly, and certainly didn’t detract from the meaningful personal accounts and overall poignancy of the service.
There was a distinct novelty in being sat in uniform alone at home in front of the laptop, sharing this moment of virtual solidarity in remembering the lost and forever changed lives of all those whom were so pivotal in protecting and enabling the modern lives we lead. It was a fitting Remembrance Service that during these uncertain times provided a reminder of the sacrifices made and beautifully commemorated those who gave their lives.
We will remember them.
Private Elizabeth Pickup Student Nurse, DHE
A still of Lieutenant Colonel (Retd) Merrill Bate, Major (Retd) Kay Foster, and retired Captain Dr Jan Westbury taken from their recorded DHE virtual Remembrance Service messages