Background to the Advancing the Nursing Profession Fellowship

Cartonn character of a mature male nurse

The Department of Health of Western Australia established the Helen Bailey Scholarship in 1971 in honour and recognition of Miss Helen Bailey’s remarkable contribution to the advancement of nurse education in Western Australia.

Helen Bailey was born on 17 February 1910 in York, Western Australia and died on 21 March 2001 in Perth, Western Australia.

Helen was a country girl at heart and was raised on the family property, assisting her father at the 'dale' in Beverley, Western Australia. The ‘dale’ and nursing were Helen's passions. Although Helen had always wanted to train as a nurse, family commitments prevented her from pursuing this dream whilst in Australia.

Following her training as a wool classer she ventured to England to learn wool buying in 1939. The outbreak of World War II, however, prevented Helen from returning to Perth. Helen decided then to train as a nurse.

Helen commenced her nursing training at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. This initial introduction to the profession, coupled with the sound general secondary education that Helen received at New Norcia, provided a strong foundation for the remainder of Helen's professional life.

On her return to Western Australia, Helen Bailey was instrumental in establishing the block system of nurse training at Fremantle Hospital. She undertook the role of organiser for the establishment of a Central Training School in Western Australia (later known as the Government School of Nursing).

Following this appointment she moved to Royal Perth Hospital to become the principal tutor, and later, to the public health department to become the inaugural education officer.

Background to the Advancing the Nursing Profession Fellowship

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