Doris Follent discusses her service as a nurse in the Australian Army from 1963 for four years where she rose to the rank of Sergeant. Doris joined the Army to ‘forge her own way’ and served primarily at the Ingleburn Army Camp south west of Sydney. She enjoyed her time in the Army, particular being involved in sport, and found nursing in the services similar to civilian nursing. Doris was nursing at Ingleburn in 1967 when the first Australian soldier to be admitted to the camp’s hospital having been wounded in the Vietnam War died from his wounds – the first such death on Australian soil. Doris also speaks about her father, Solomon Bellear, who served during World War 2 in Papua New Guinea as an engineer.

This interview took place on 22 April 2015 in Tweed Heads and was conducted by Dr Allison Cadzow with Craig Greene and Magali McDuffie as part of the Australian Research Council-funded research project Serving our Country: a history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the defence of Australia. Jackie MacDonald was also present during the interview.

The interview recording above is made available to be viewed here by permission of the interviewee(s), Doris Follent. The recording may not be copied, reproduced or communicated in whole or in part without the prior permission of the interviewee(s). Requests for permission for use of this material should be made to the Serving our Country research project: our contact details.

• Return to Doris Follent’s participant page.