This year a record five Australian Red Cross aid workers have been awarded the highest international distinction a nurse can receive, the Florence Nightingale Medal.
The award is named for the British nurse who, in the 1850s, became known as the "Lady of the Lamp" for reforming British nursing practices during the Crimean War.
One nurse's story exemplifies their efforts: having devoted her life to giving care to those who need it most, Barabara McMaster's Red Cross career has spanned more than a decade.
It's taken her to countless countries, many of those poverty-stricken, war-inflicted or battling the effects of a natural disaster.
Her very first mission was in Juba, South Sudan, helping to save a litle boy suffering from tetanus.
"In our world it's a preventable disease, there's a vaccination for it. It's a terrible thing. They go into muscle spasm, this kid was like an ironing board. His back was arched, the jaw was clenched, they can't eat, drink..."
But her work didn't end there, taking her on to Afghanistan, where she was called to a local hospital one night following a bomb blast.
"When we got there, it was just chaos. There were badly injured people lying in the corridors, there were deceased people lying in the foyer, the operating theatres had people lined up waiting to get in. At that point I thought, you know, this isn't good. But then you just get in and do it. You get in and do it and do what you can for who you can."
Sometimes, it was about offering much more than physical help.
"There were a lot of people there who were beyond help. So we had to recognise that, and just try to make them as comfortable as we could. Which.....you know...yeah....that was very hard. They had no family there, so just to be there to hold their hand until they were unconscious."
It's a heavy commitment, spending up to a year away from home on any given mission.
Barbara McMaster found herself responding to natural disasters, including the Haiti earthquake in 2010 and the Pakistan floods that same year.
"Going to Haiti, Pakistan, they were very short-term because you can't live in a tent for a long time, even though in Haiti, by the time I got there, which was about the 4th, 5th or 6th rotation, we had showers, two-room showers made of cardboard, proper cardboard. It was five star camping!"
Following her heart, she went to Sierra Leone to care for Ebola victims.
"I didn't really think that much. I didn't weight it up too much. I just knew I had to go. The images we had on television were horrifying and I think out of all the places I'd been to my family and friends were most worried about me going there."
She recalls spending up to half an hour getting dressed in the protective suits and working in pairs to make sure each person was correctly attired.
"An oversuit, gumboots, a hood, goggles, a mask, gloves and then a heavier rubber apron over the top of that. Sierra Leone is a tropical country, you'd be having a sauna inside the suit, which is why you can't stay in the treatment area for very long. The risk there is that people might faint and then that puts them at risk to get you out because you can't take the mask and goggles off."
It's for these harrowing experiences and captivating stories that Barbara McMaster has been recognised.
The Florence Nightingale Award is given to those who have displayed exceptional courage and devotion to the wounded, sick or disabled or to civilian victims of a conflict or disaster.
It can also be awarded to those who have provided exemplary services or a creative and pioneering spirit in public health or nursing education.
The final recipients are decided by the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the International Council of Nurses.
Barbara McMaster and fellow Australians Ruth Jebb, Catherine Fry, Anne Carey and Catherine Salman, are among 39 nurses from 22 countries honoured this year.
Share
