Community & Business
27 August, 2024
Governor honours Sister Kenny’s legacy
Her Excellency the Honourable Dr Jeannette Young AC PSM came to Nobby last Friday to honour the work of Sister Elizabeth Kenny with the official opening of the Nobby Museum’s Timeline panel depicting the development of Sister Kenny’s work over time.
It was standing room only inside the Nobby Museum as an excited crowd, estimated at around sixty people, waited for the arrival of the Queensland Governor and her husband.
The Vice-Regal couple came to pay tribute to the work of Nobby’s famous polio pioneer Sister Elizabeth Kenny,
Sister Kenny was the bush nurse who went against accepted polio treatments and developed her own methods that were at first rejected by medical authorities but ultimately universally accepted.
Sister Kenny’s early career saw her living and working in Clifton for a few years.
Those who attended included the Member for Condamine, Pat Weir and a large number of Rotarians and interestingly, two cousins of Sister Kenny.
The cousins had never met previously but heard about the event on ABC radio and decided to attend and found themselves standing next to each other in the crowd.
After addressing the audience the Governor unveiled the panel that outlines the work Sister Kenny did in combating the debilitating effects of polio around the world.
Rotary International along
with the Bill Gates Foundation has been heavily involved for many years in financing the fight against polio around the world.
As a result, Rotary clubs in South East Queensland have long been supporters of Nobby’s Sister Kenny Museum.
The Rotary Club of Jindalee, located in the western suburbs of Brisbane, along with other Rotary clubs in Queensland set about gaining grants for the project with the intent of donating the Timeline Panel to the Sister Kenny Museum.
The Timeline Panel is a welcome addition to the highly professional collection of Sister Kenny artefacts and information exhibits that already make the museum a popular stop for both locals and tourists.
With all the official duties concluded everyone enjoyed exploring the museum and the event finished with a lavish afternoon tea.
It’s not every day the Governor of Queensland visits Nobby and her time in Nobby was much appreciated by locals and visitors.
