A long-standing Rockhampton tradition was honoured again in 2011 when the role which nurses play in our society was celebrated at events on 12 May. Unlike previous years, the 2011 celebration had two parts. The first was a staff Professional Development Program held during the afternoon at the Shearing Shed at the Rockhampton Heritage Village. The workshop was addressed by several distinguished speakers and covered such areas as nurses as commanders, simulation in nurse education, rural nursing, the experiences of nurse practitioners and nursing in Australia in 2011.

Many participants in this workshop then joined others for an evening event which commenced under the old Kalapa State School, now located at the Heritage Village, with refreshments provided by the Hillcrest Rockhampton Private Hospital. Many attendees took the opportunity to visit the adjacent Country Hospital Museum to inspect the many displays covering health services delivery in Central Queensland in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The formal part of the evening held in the Shearing Shed commenced with a PowerPoint presentation by the Australian Country Hospital Heritage Association Archivist Yvonne Kelley on the topic "From Then to Now". Yvonne's presentation ranged over a series of areas highlighting the contrast between many hospital procedures from the past and those now in place. A simple example was the replacement of porcelain and enamel bedpans which had to be emptied, cleaned, sterilized and reused by similar shaped cardboard items which are shredded and flushed into the sewerage system. Another example covered was the difference between the old methods of measuring blood chemistry such as glucose levels using test tubes, reagents and Bunsen burners compared to present day methods which use modern automated instruments.

The main event for the evening was The Great Debate on the topic "Generalist Nurses - who needs them?" The battle was waged vigorously between two teams of three speakers each. The story of the evening will be told below with the aid of photographs. However, we must congratulate the members of the Organising Committee who worked very hard in planning the event with the sponsorship of Mercy Health and Aged Care Ltd (Mater Hospital), Ramsey Health Care (Hillcrest Rockhampton Private Hospital), Queensland Health (Central Queensland Health Service District), the Central Queensland Institute of TAFE, Central Queensland University and the Australian Country Hospital Heritage Association Inc.

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In the first two photographs we see guests enjoying refreshments under the old Kalapa State School building which is now at the Heritage Village, adjacent to the Country Hospital Museum. In the left hand photograph we see Associate Professor Trudy Dwyer, a member of the Organising Committee for the function with Mr Tony Gubbins, who was the Adjudicator for the Great Debate. The right hand photograph shows Ms Tracey Wust, one of the debate participants with Mr Matthew Johnson, MC for the evening function.

While the refreshments were being served, guests took the opportunity to view the displays in the Country Hospital Museum. In the photograph below, Dawn Wheeler, Christa Tollner and Helen Quigley inspect the historical hospital ward.

In the photographs below, we see Beth Vagg with the Iron Lung and Jessica Lang, Lorraine Antonello and Colleen Reeve in the Treatment Room.

In the photograph on the left, Mary Lowe, Sheila Black and Margaret Jacobs are examining the Both Cot, forerunner of the humidicrib, in the Mother and Child Room.

Meanwhile Judy Cornick, Debby Frawley and Shelley Nowlan may be seen in the main gallery in front of the display which celebrates the 1954 Nurses' Quarters at the Rockhampton Hospital.

A feature of the formal evening program was a PowerPoint presentation by ACHHA Archivist, Mrs Yvonne Kelley on the topic "From then to Now" setting out changes in procedures used in hospitals over time.

The following eight photographs show images of the "performers" in the Great Debate.

Adjudicator Mr Tony Gubbins assembles the teams on the stage and begins the introductions. Ms Shelley Nowlan, District Executive Director of Nursing for the Rockhampton Health Services District leads the argument in support of generalist nurses.

Central Queensland University student Ms Sherrie Lee (left) provides further support for the generalist nurse while Ms Tracey Wust, CEO of Hillcrest Rockhampton Private Hospital, wraps up the case.

Dr Lyn Jamieson, Director of Nursing at the Rockhampton Hospital, opens the case in support of specialist nurses while the second speaker, TAFE nursing student Mr Jared Kummerfeld, changed the "rules" of the debate by bringing a two-man band onto the stage.

The whole team then joined in the presentation of a version of the song "I Believe"! Third speaker for the specialist team, Professor Ysanne Chapman, Dean of Nursing and Midwifery at Central Queensland University, was then left to try to recover the situation by introducing new arguments in support of the team's case, leaving little time to rebut the arguments of the "generalist" team.

At the end, the judges were left to reach a conclusion. They are (Left): Emeritus Professor Errol Payne, Ms Amanda McMaster, Director of Nursing at the Mater Hospital and Emeritus Professor Amy Zelmer. The conclusion reached was that the team in support of the generalist nurse had clearly won the intellectual debate. However, the specialist team was awarded a second prize for winning the "entertainment debate".

After the announcement, all participants posed for a photograph before leaving the stage.

It was left to the Chair of the Organising Committee, Ms Norma West to sum up a very successful evening and to invite the guests to participate in a light supper.