This tour is supported by the Australian College of Nursing.
The Murray River rises in the Snowy Mountains in the Australian Alps and runs down the border between Victoria and New South Wales to South Australia. One of the largest rivers of the world, it is the life-giving umbilical cord of the area. Paddle steamers transformed the area after settlement, making it a busy thoroughfare and bringing women and families to the lands along the Murray. Nurses and midwives were much needed and their skills and experiences intertwined with Indigenous and settler women for many years.
Explore the fascinating world of women, nursing and paddle steamers in the beautiful Riverina area of Victoria. Follow the mighty Murray River as it courses past Wodonga, Rutherglen, Echuca and Swan Hill and learn about the rich history of nursing via huge red gum forests and lakes, mountains and plains.
Cruise on a paddle steamer, learn about Riverina’s vivid history, march with the RSL on Anzac Day, see the historic Catalina Flying Boat and amazing art silos, and sample artisan food and wine. This tour has broad appeal and partners are very welcome.
FULL REFUND FOR COVID CANCELLATIONS
You can book on this tour secure in the knowledge that if you have to cancel due to borders being closed because of Covid you will receive a 100% refund. This refund applies up until the day of departure.
Should you wish to cancel for any other reason we will provide a refund up to 45 days less the deposit. From 45 days to 21 days prior the refund will be 50% and from 20 days 100%. These terms overrule the existing bookings terms (allowing for greater flexibility).
Professor Linda Shields is a Honorary Professor in the School of Medicine at The University of Queensland, Australia.She previously worked at Charles Sturt University. Her research interests are in the care of children in health services, particularly in rural and remote areas.
Professor Shields was the first nurse in Australia to be awarded a higher doctorate. She was awarded a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Queensland for her work on family-centred care in paediatrics. In 2015 she was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in Washington in recognition of her research in how to improve care for children and their families - an honour that's not usually bestowed on those outside the United States.
Linda is passionate about the way we care for children and their families, and about what it is like for children to live with a chronic illness when they live in rural and remote areas, a long way from treatment centres that are usually in the big cities. Her research reveals what is good about our health systems, and where improvements can be made.
Linda has also researched the role of nurses in Nazi Germany, which shows that despite nursing's rating as the "most trusted profession", in that era, nursing's ethics were turned around and nurses actively, and voluntarily, killed their patients, believing that they were doing the right thing. Other history research includes investigations into the life of Australian Dame Maud McCarthy, who was Matron-in-Chief, British Expeditionary Forces, France and Flanders in World War One.
Linda is also involved in inventions that can have a huge impact on health care, such as developing a new way of disposing of hospital waste so it doesn't have to go in landfill - as it does at present.
* Those not wishing to take part in the march can follow by bus.
The cost of the tour is $3,460 per person sharing