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Nancy de Vries RN (Auntie Nance)
John Daly
Dean, Faculty of Nursing Midwifery and Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney NSW
Debra Jackson
Professorial Fellow, School of Nursing, Family and Community Health, University of Western Sydney, NSW
Article Text
It is with sadness and a great sense of loss that we report news of the passing of Nancy de Vries (Aunty Nance). Nancy de Vries RN was an inspirational community leader and a passionate advocate for the Stolen Generations. She worked tirelessly to raise awareness about the removal of Aboriginal children, and promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
Nancy was a true story teller, and it was impossible to hear her tell the story of her life without being profoundly moved by her courage, grace and dignity. She described the removal from her mother at 14 months of age as marking the beginning of her ‘journey as a lonely, homeless, unloved child’. Nancy lived in 22 places in her first 18 years and described a childhood marked by loneliness, confusion and isolation. Yet, despite the sadness, suffering and deprivations of her childhood, Nancy grew into a very accomplished and compassionate woman who was held in high esteem within her profession and beyond.
Nancy worked all her life for her family, and her beloved Aboriginal people. She was determined to meet her mother again, and finally achieved this goal when she was 53 years of age.
Nancy de Vries had a long association with the University of Western Sydney. She graduated with a nursing degree in 1988 and remains the most eminent graduate of the UWS School of Nursing. Nancy was a proud, strong nurse and contributed to nursing through her clinical work, her community involvement and also her advocacy for Aboriginal and non aboriginal people.
Nancy life was marked by many achievements, both public and private. She was the first Aboriginal person to graduate as a nurse from UWS. She was the only non-elected woman other than Queen Elizabeth II, to stand on the floor and address the Chamber of NSW Parliament. This occurred in June 1997, and resulted in the then Premier of NSW, The Honorable Bob Carr, apologizing unreservedly to the Aboriginal people of Australia for separating generations of Aboriginal children from their parents, families and communities.
In 1999 the NSW Nurses Association (NSWNA) and UWS collaborated with Nancy to record her oral history, and the NSWNA dedicated a scholarship for Indigenous nurses in her name. In 2002 the Liverpool Regional Museum presented the ‘Aunty Nance’ exhibition, which was a celebration of a magnificent life, and a preservation of Nancy's experience as a member of the Stolen Generations. In the same year, Nancy was the Sydney Medical Society Lambie Drew Orator.
Nancy passed away on 9 May 2006. She leaves a proud legacy to Australian nursing, and also to the wider Australian community. We feel honored to have known her. She is greatly missed and warmly remembered.
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