Australian Dictionary of Biography

Florence Chatfield, n.d.

State Library of Queensland, 162778

Florence Chatfield (1867-1949), and Ellen Barron (1875-1951), were nurses. Florence Chatfield was born on 1 February 1867 at Worthing, Sussex, England, daughter of William Chatfield, confectioner, and his wife Jane, née Porter. Educated in Worthing and London, she and her sister Emily migrated to Queensland as domestic servants, arriving on 3 June 1885 by the Chyebassa. Her widowed father brought out the rest of the family two years later.

With her sisters Florence trained in nursing at Brisbane General Hospital in 1889-92; for a short time she was personal nurse to Dr E. Sandford Jackson, and in 1892-96 she was a charge nurse there, then became deputy matron. From 1900 to 1934 she was matron and then superintendent of the Diamantina Hospital for Chronic Diseases; her work showed a 'very broad outlook and great human sympathy'. She was also supervisor and organizer of the Queensland Government Baby Clinics from their inception in 1918, and in 1920 investigated infant welfare in the southern States. She relinquished the position in 1923 to Ellen Barron, as the Diamantina Hospital had expanded from 32 to 216 beds. She was appointed O.B.E. in 1932.

Miss Barron was born in 1875 at Abingdon, Berkshire, England, daughter of John Joseph Barron, railway stationmaster, and his wife Annie, née Cox. Migrating to Queensland with her parents in or before 1884, she trained as a nurse at the Brisbane General Hospital in 1896-99 and was a staff nurse there until 1901. Head nurse at the Maryborough General Hospital in 1902-04, she trained in obstetrics at the Women's Hospital, Rockhampton, in 1904-05, and was matron of the Lady Musgrave Hospital, Maryborough, in 1906-08 and of the Chillagoe Hospital in 1909. She returned to England in 1912-13, won the certificate of the Incorporated Society of Trained Masseuses, and became a life member of the Chartered Society of Massage and Medical Gymnastics.

Late in 1914 Miss Barron returned to Australia and on 1 May 1915 enlisted in the Australian Army Nursing Service. As a staff nurse in the 3rd Australian General Hospital, she nursed Anzac casualties on Lemnos and served in England and France. Discharged on 18 April 1917, she began work in Brisbane in 1918 under Miss Chatfield in the baby clinics. Four years later she was sent to the Karitane training school in Dunedin, New Zealand, to work under (Sir Frederic) Truby King. On her return in 1923, she became superintendent of the baby clinics and started a training course for clinic nursing staffs. She retired as superintendent in 1939.

Florence Chatfield and Ellen Barron worked tirelessly for their profession of nursing throughout their lives. Miss Chatfield presided over the founding meeting in 1904 of the Queensland Branch of the Australasian Trained Nurses' Association (now Royal Australian Nursing Federation), and worked for it in many ways for over forty years. Both women were members of its council for many years, and were joint honorary secretaries in 1922-33; Miss Chatfield then became vice-president. Both served on the federal council of the association, the Australasian Nurses' Federation. They were foundation members and trustees of the Nurses' Rest Home and Benevolent Fund, Miss Chatfield becoming president, Miss Barron secretary. They were also members of the Queensland Nurses and Masseurs Registration Board. Miss Chatfield served in 1912-21 and was an examiner for many years; from 1930 she also chaired a board providing lectures for student nurses.

Tall and distinguished-looking, the two nurses lived together for part of their retirement and were seen frequently at Brisbane theatres. Florence Chatfield died on 5 November 1949 in Nundah Private Hospital. Ellen Barron died in the War Veterans' Home at Caboolture on 8 July 1951. Both were cremated with Anglican rites.