Godfrey, Joan Estelle (1922 - )

Details

In her nursing career Joan Godfrey has been a strong and outspoken advocate for improved standards in education and greater development for nurses.

Joan Godfrey had numerous memorable experiences during clinical practice whilst in training and thereafter. Her experience led to a concern for the welfare and status of nurses. All her professional life she worked with others to achieve professional status for nurses and improved educational and working conditions. She turned to education as the means to bring about change for nurses and taught at pre registration and post registration levels.

She developed considerable expertise in the field of nursing education gaining a high reputation amongst the nursing profession, in Queensland and beyond, as an educator. In 1960 when the then College of Nursing, Australia, expanded its operations to include a Queensland branch, Dr Godfrey was appointed as Staff Tutor. At this time she was also involved in the recruitment for enrolment in both short and long courses at the Branch, and conducting short courses in country areas throughout the State. She worked closely with the then Director of the College, Patricia Chomley, a leading pioneer in the cause of post basic education for nurses, to introduce "post graduate" studies in Queensland. Dr Godfrey was a major contributor in the development of College model for delivering post basic education to nurses.

Within five years Dr Godfrey was the appointed Principal of the Queensland branch of the College and took the opportunity to increase the number of graduates from Queensland and to assist others trying to improve the standards of nurse education. These activities were to culminate in the incorporation of the Queensland Branch of the College of Nursing, Australia into the Queensland Institute of Technology (QIT), later to become the Queensland University of Technology. Dr Godfrey became the Foundation Head of Nursing Studies in QIT and laid the foundations in post basic studies for nurses for others to build on.

A believer in life long learning she commenced university studies at the age of 40 as a part time student at the University of Queensland and then subsequently utilized her studies for the benefit of nurses.

Dr Godfrey was active in the life of the nursing profession and "made significant contributions to nursing education as a member of many statutory authorities and committees. She was involved at both State and national level with the concerns of major nursing organisations" such as the Florence Nightingale Committee, the Royal Australian Nursing Federation (now the Australian Nursing Federation) and the Royal College of Nursing, Australia. She served as President of the then College of Nursing, Australia in 1982-83 and served in the role of Censor-in-Chief for the 13 years from 1979-1992. At the College's invitation she gave the twenty fifth Patricia Chomley oration titled Nursing's Heritage: Chains to Loosen in 1991 at the annual meeting of RCNA in Brisbane. In recognition of her contribution to the life of the College she was awarded its highest honour, an Honorary Fellowship of the College, in 1993.

In retirement she was able to give more time to developing her interest in nursing history and collaborated with Bartz Schultz in 15 years of meticulous research and writing the seminal history of nursing in Australia in two volumes titled A Tapestry of Service - The Evolution of Nursing in Australia volumes one and two. Her contribution to the discipline of nursing was recognised with an honorary doctorate conferred by the Queensland University of Technology in 1994. Her service to nursing was recognised by the Queen with the award of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1984.

Chronology

1 February 1943 - 31 August 1946

Career position - Army service in the Australian Army Medical Women's Service (AAMWS), Australian Imperial Force

1947 - 1988

Career position - Member of the Royal Australian Nursing Federation

20 August 1947

Education - General Nursing Certificate completed at the Greenslopes Military Hospital/Cairns Base Hospital

6 October 1948

Education - Midwifery Certificate completed at the Ryde District Soldiers' Memorial Hospital, Sydney

1949 - 1951

Career position - Sister Tutor at Brisbane Hospital

10 August 1949

Education - Mothercraft and Infant Welfare Certificate completed in Karitane, Sydney

1951 - 1953

Career position - Sister-in-charge of the Orthopaedic Ward at Brisbane Hospital

1955

Award - Florence Nightingale Scholarship received

2 December 1955

Education - Diploma in Nursing Education completed at the College of Nursing, Australia

1956 - 1959

Career position - Council member at the Royal Australian Nursing Federation, Queensland branch

1956 - 1960

Career position - Nurse Educator at Brisbane Hospital

1956 - 1960

Career position - Committee member on the Florence Nightingale Committee of Australia, Queensland branch

1956 - 1960

Career position - Honorary Secretary of the Queensland State Committee (Queensland Chapter) of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia

1956 - 1976

Career position - Member of the Florence Nightingale International Nurses' Association

1956 - 1986

Career position - Committee member of the Queensland State Committee of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia

1957 - 1960

Career position - Honorary Secretary of Nurse Educators' Section at the Royal Australian Nursing Federation, Queensland branch

1 March 1957 - 9 December 1977

Career position - Member of the Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps Reserve of Officers

1959

Career position - Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia

1960 - 1964

Career position - Staff Tutor at College of Nursing, Australia, Queensland branch

1960 - 1966

Career position - Examiner on the Nurses Registration Board

1961 - 1963

Career position - Chairman of the Nurse Educators' Section at the Royal Australian Nursing Federation, Queensland branch

1965 - 1977

Career position - Branch Principal of the College of Nursing, Australia, Queensland branch

1966 - 1977

Career position - Member of the Education Committee of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia

1967 - 1969

Career position - Member of the Expert Advisory Panel on Nursing Education at the International Council of Nurses

1969 - 1971

Career position - Member of the Committee of Inquiry into Nurse Education in Queensland at the Royal Australian Nursing Federation, Queensland branch

1970 - 1971

Career position - Vice-President of the Royal Australian Nursing Federation, Queensland branch

1970 - 1976

Career position - Federal Councillor at the Royal Australian Nursing Federation (now Australian Nursing Federation)

1971

Career position - Charter Member of the Zonta Club of Brisbane

1971 - 1972

Career position - Chairman of the Queensland State Committee of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia

1971 - 1976

Career position - President of the Royal Australian Nursing Federation - Queensland branch

1971 - 1989

Career position - Member of the Australian College of Education

1972 - 1977

Career position - Member of the Professional Development Committee at the Royal Australian Nursing Federation (now Australian Nursing Federation)

1973 - 1974

Career position - Chairman of the Working Party on Nursing Education in Queensland of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia

1974 - 1977

Career position - Faculty Representative on the Council of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia

1975 - 1976

Career position - Member of the Curriculum Advisory Committee at the Nurses' Board of Queensland

1975 - 1976

Career position - Member of the Nursing Advisory Committee to the Board of Advanced Education

1977 - 1981

Career position - Chairman of the Queensland Task Force on Goals in Nursing Education at the Royal Australian Nursing Federation, Queensland branch

1977 - 1984

Career position - Member of the Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration

1977 - 1986

Career position - Member of the Board of Nursing Studies

1978

Career position - Fellow of the New South Wales College of Nursing

1978

Career position - Member of the Health Education Sub Committee of the Social Science Course Assessment Committee of the Board of Advanced Education

1978 - 1979

Career position - Member of the Censors Board at the Royal College of Nursing, Australia

1978 - 1979

Career position - Chairman of the Nursing Research Committee at the Board of Nursing Studies

1978 - 1979

Career position - Member of the Curriculum Steering Committee of the Board of Nursing Studies

1978 - 1980

Career position - Elected member of the Council of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia

1978 - 1982

Career position - Member of the Academic Assembly at Queensland Institute of Technology

1978 - 1983

Career position - Chairman of the Nursing Studies Advisory Committee at Queensland Institute of Technology

1978 - 1984

Career position - Foundation Head of the Department of Nursing Studies at Queensland Institute of Technology

1978 - 1984

Career position - Member of the Health Science Academic Board at Queensland Institute of Technology

1979

Career position - Member of the working group appointed by the Minister for Health to report on the Sax Committee Report on Nurse Education and Training

1979 - 1981

Career position - Advisor to National Steering Committee on Goals in Nursing Education at the Royal Australian Nursing Federation (now Australian Nursing Federation)

1979 - 1986

Career position - Member of the Executive Committee of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia Queensland State Committee (Queensland Chapter)

1979 - 1992

Career position - Member of the Council Executive Committee of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia

1980 - 1981

Career position - Charter Member of the Zonta Club of Brisbane

1980 - 1985

Career position - Member of the Alpha Delta Kappa Sorority

1980 - 1986

Career position - Chairman of the Education Committee at the Board of Nursing Studies

1981

Career position - Member of the Course Assessment Committee for Nursing Courses with the Tertiary Education Authority of South Australia

1981 - 1982

Career position - Vice-President of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia

1982 - 1983

Career position - Chairman of the Council Executive Committee of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia

1982 - 1983

Career position - President of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia

1984

Career position - Member of the joint working party of Board of Advanced Education and Board of Nursing Studies on Future Developments on Nurse Education in Queensland

1984

Award - Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) - For contribution to nursing education

1984 - 1985

Career position - Treasurer of the Zonta Club of Brisbane

1984 - 1985

Career position - President of Alpha Delta Kappa (Alpha Chapter) in Brisbane

1984 - 1987

Career position - Consultant on Nursing Education

1986

Award - Distinguished Nursing Service Award received

1993

Award - Honorary Fellowship received from the Royal College of Nursing, Australia

1994

Award - Clarice Mary Gately Mater Distinguished Nursing Award received

1994

Award - Doctor of the University received from Queensland University of Technology

Published resources

Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Exhibitions

• McCarthy, Gavan; Morgan, Helen; Smith, Ailie; van den Bosch, Alan, Where are the Women in Australian Science?, Exhibition of the Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, First published 2003 with lists updated regulary edn, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, 2003, https://eoas.info/exhibitions/wisa/wisa.html. Details

Resources

• 'Godfrey, Joan Estelle (1922-)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1473629. Details