Betty Irene Lawrence, nee Crocker, was born at Waikerie, South Australia. In 1941, aged 16, Betty began her nurse training in Broken Hill, New South Wales. Following an appointment as Sister in Charge at the Northfield Infectious Diseases Hospital in Adelaide, Betty joined the Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps, and in 1951 she was the first South Australian nurse to enlist for the Korean War. Betty speaks of her childhood; her experiences in Japan and Korea as a member of the RAANC contributing to the United Nations operations; community attitudes to the contributions of Australian service personnel to the Korean conflict; and of her life with her husband, Bill, and their contribution to the community of Red Cliffs, Victoria.

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