Threading voices of the past into today's fabric.

• Jurisdiction: Australia
• Author: Foley, Elizabeth
• Date: 01 March 2013

In particular is the weaving of two organisations: Royal College of Nursing, Australia (RCNA) and the Australian Nursing Federation (ANF).

The ANF began life in 1924. There were a range of state organisations and the aim was to create a unified federal body which would speak with one voice for Australian nurses. A mark of the maturing of the organisation could be seen in the ANF applying for, and gaining, membership of the International Council of Nurses (ICN) in 1937. The war years during the first half of the 1940s brought a lapse in activity for both the ICN internationally, and the ANF within Australia. Post war the ANF quickly resumed its role as the national professional organisation.

A major area of discussion at Federation meetings over many years was that of nursing education. Minutes from a Federal Council meeting of 4 February 1946, held in Melbourne: It was agreed that it is highly desirable that postgraduate courses with a university backing on lines similar to those of the School of Nutrition are desirable and the following resolution was passed: "That the Australian Nursing Federation press for the establishment of an Australian College of Nursing and scholarships for postgraduate nursing education."

The ANF General Secretary's report of 14 November 1949 recounted that:

Representatives of the three national organisations namely: the Australian Nursing Federation, the National Florence Nightingale Memorial Committee of Australia and the Trained Nurses Guild met in Melbourne in December, 1948 and meetings were held to discuss a scheme of postgraduate education. From this and subsequent meetings, has sprung the College of Nursing, Australia ...

The culmination of much hard work was on 14 May 1949 when the first Council meeting of the College of Nursing, Australia was held in Melbourne. At this meeting it was decided to hold a Pacific Nursing Conference--to be a joint venture of the College, the ANF, the National Florence Nightingale Memorial Committee, and the Australian United Nurses Association. The College was officially opened at this event in 1950, by Dame Katherine Watt, Chief Nursing Adviser to the Ministry of Health, England.

ANF minutes of 14 November 1949 show behind the scenes there had been discord prior to the conference. The record says: The College of Nursing Australia had called a Pan-Pacific conference--to this the ANF took exception on the grounds that the calling of such a conference was the prerogative of the National Nursing Association which is concerned with policy not one set up to deal with postgraduate education.

A somewhat straining of the first threads woven in the relationship fabric of the two organisations, however, from all accounts the joint conference was a success.

Having reached this point in history--both organisations existed--1949.

Working our way through the threads of both organisations much similarity can be seen in patterns, sometimes occurring simultaneously, and at others the same 'colours' used but occurring in different parts of the overall fabric pattern.

Titles

The Minutes of the ANF Council meeting 26 October 1951 carry discussion about 'the question of obtaining a Royal prefix for the ANF, with the following resolution:

That the Secretary General be authorised to approach the Prime Minister with regard to obtaining a Royal Charter for the ANF.

It was to be 32 years later, in 1987, that the members voted to remove 'Royal' from the title; and, in 1988 the name was changed from RANF to ANF.

This left the way open for the College to pursue their long held desire to be a 'Royal College'--first discussed in 1956, as only one organisation of a particular type could hold the title at a time within the 'Dominions'. This had been a source of some irritation as attempts were made by the College in the intervening years to obtain the Royal title, and rejected. Accordingly, once the ANF shed the Royal prefix, the College swiftly obtained member approval. An application was made to the Crown, and the prefix 'Royal' was attached to the College's title.

Russell Smith noted...