Bush Nurses

I very much enjoyed Bush Nurses, a collection of short stories, edited by Annabelle Brayley.  The collection comprises stories told by nurses working in remote regions of Australia from the early 20th century to the present.  The resilience and bravery of these nurses in taking on the challenges of nursing in these places is truly remarkable and they deserve credit for doing so.  For them it is more than just a "job", they become involved in the community and have a caring and compassionate nature which sees them through happy times and some sad incidents.  In most cases they work with limited resources and often have to "make do" to get the job done.  Some have a "romantic" idea about working in the outback, but that is soon dispelled by the reality of what they often have to deal with.  They experience joy and sadness and develop a rapport with the community with whom they work.  These women and men deserve our greatest admiration and respect. 4/5