A future road in the new Bundaberg Hospital precinct named for local nurse and Vietnam War veteran Carolyn Kennedy will display the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) insignia.
The insignia is being incorporated on the future Carolyn Kennedy Drive along with Carolyn’s name and rank as part of Bundaberg Regional Council’s Streets of Remembrance program.
Carolyn was born and raised in Bundaberg, the fourth of four children.
She completed her nursing training at Bundaberg Hospital before joining the Royal Australian Air Force in 1969.
Carolyn was nominated for Council’s Streets of Remembrance program by the Bundaberg Women’s Veterans Group in recognition of her military service and strong connection to the Bundaberg community.
She was modest about her achievements when asked how she felt about seeing her name on the sign.
“I don’t really think I deserved to have my name up, there’s others who were there who did more than I did,” she said.
“But I suppose I’m one of the old ones that’s still going.
“It is lovely to see it.”
Mayor Helen Blackburn said she was pleased to see Carolyn’s service remembered and recognised.
“Through our Streets of Remembrance program, we are delighted to be able to honour veterans like Carolyn who are in our community and who served our country,” Mayor Blackburn said.
“I’m very proud of them, and it’s a proud moment for their families too who now have this lasting reminder of their loved one.”
Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service Chief Executive Debbie Carroll said it was fitting that Carolyn Kennedy Drive would be in the future Bundaberg Health and Enterprise Precinct
“I had the pleasure of working with Carolyn when she was a Nursing Director at Bundaberg Hospital,” Debbie said.
“It’s lovely to have Carolyn here with us today, and we can’t wait to put up the street sign in due course.”
Military service
Carolyn was stationed at bases around Australia before being deployed overseas as a nurse, rising to the rank of Section Officer.
“I went to Malaysia, I was posted there for 15 months,” Carolyn said.
“I did quite a lot of travelling with the Air Force when I was based in Malaysia.
“Then I worked with the American Air Force for some time, based on American stations in the Philippines and different places.”
Caroyln said part of her military training was parachute jumps, including having to land into water.
She was part of a team including pilots and nurses who would evacuate injured soldiers out of the war zone.
“We used to fly into Vietnam, pick up the fellows who were wounded and bring them out for treatment back home in Australia,” she said.
“By the time we got them, they’d probably been admitted to the hospital in Vietnam, and we’d pick them up from there.”
Nursing career in Bundaberg
After her military service ended in 1972, Carolyn returned briefly to Australia before moving to England for two years where her daughter was born.
Carolyn then returned to Bundaberg and took up a nursing role at Bundaberg Hospital.
“I was a midwife, but I didn’t work in the midwifery part, I was on the surgical ward for quite a long time as a nurse,” she said.
“Then I did a nursing admin course and did some work in the admin office for a couple of years until I retired.”
Carolyn was Deputy Director of Nursing for Bundaberg Hospital before her retirement, and after retiring she volunteered in the hospital café for a number of years.
Construction of Carolyn Kennedy Drive is currently in progress on the site for the new Bundaberg Hospital in Thabeban.
