Sister Viv
Grantlee Kieza
Sydney, NSW : HarperCollins Publishers, 2024
Paperback 352pp RRP: $35.99
Reviewer: Mary Brandy, July 2024
Vivian Bullwinkel grew up in Broken Hill, New South Wales, and trained as a nurse there. After gaining further qualification and experience, she, with friends, volunteered to join the Australian Army Nursing Service and was posted to Singapore.
When the Japanese attacked Singapore in 1942, evacuation was ordered. Vivian and 64 other nurses boarded the SS Vyner Brooke, a British registered cargo ship, which was then bombed by enemy aircraft. It sank within half an hour and many drowned. Vivian and 21 nursing colleagues were among the 150 personnel who made it to Radji Beach on Banka Island, Sumatra.
Japanese soldiers on the beach forced these women to wade back into the shallow waters of this remote beach to be shot. Vivian felt pain in her back, fell forward, waiting to die as soldiers bayonetted survivors. Somehow Vivian survived. The next three and a half years were spent in various brutal Japanese camps where Vivian used her skills to help others survive the horror that surrounded them.
Upon restoration of peace, Vivian returned to Australia. Her commitment to nursing was always underpinned by the memory of her fallen comrades.
At almost 60 years of age Vivian found herself back in a war zone as a primary driver of Operation Babylift. During this operation twelve volunteers travelled to Southeast Asia to rescue and relocate Vietnamese orphans. Vivian’s strength of spirit and her compassion continued to be evident throughout her life – a very stoic and brave woman who deserves her recognition as a hero and a great Australian.
The author, Grantlee Kieza, has researched facts well and has been able to present a sound balance between these facts and telling this story. It is an interesting and compelling read – a story told in graphic detail that describes Vivian’s determination and courage, her resilience to survive against the odds.
Whilst this story of survival against a strong Japanese force has been told often, the author has been able to set the scene for a wider audience with his writing about her early life and family. Growing up with her grandfather had taught her how to push her body to do impossible when life depended on it. The relevance of this lesson did not go unnoticed later in her life.
Sister Viv is an inspiring story of an heroic young Army nurse who, after surviving a wartime massacre and incarceration, returned to Australia to dedicate her life to caring for and saving others.
The RUSI – Vic Library is most grateful to the publishers for making this work available for review.