ANMC Scholarships
Scholarship applications are open annually from 1 July to 31 August
The Australian Nurses Memorial Centre (ANMC) is proud to offer scholarships for nurses and midwives as part of its mission to act as a living memorial by advancing the nursing profession through education. The ANMC provides and administers scholarships for nurses and midwives undertaking postgraduate study by coursework or research at an Australian university.
Please note, you are required to be a member of the ANMC before submitting a scholarship application.
Scholarships available for study in 2026
ANMC Scholarships
ANMC Vivian Bullwinkel Award $20,000
This award to honour Vivian Bullwinkel AO MBE ARRC ED (1915–2000), one of the Australian Nurses Memorial Centre's founders. This scholarship is generously supported by her nephew Mr John Bullwinkel, in partnership with the ANMC.
ANMC Betty Jeffrey Award $20,000
Betty Jeffrey OAM (1908–2000) is honoured through this Award as one of the Australian Nurses Memorial Centre’s founders and its first administrator. Betty was the author of 'White Coolies', on which the film 'Paradise Road' is based.
ANMC and Australian Legion of Ex-Servicemen and Women as sponsor of scholarships for nurses undertaking postgraduate study involving care of the older person or palliative care. These scholarships, valued from $5,000, are offered annually to a number of applicants.
ANMC Mental Health Scholarship $5,000
The Australian Nurses Memorial Centre is pleased to offer an annual Mental Health Scholarship for nurses undertaking postgraduate study in mental health care.
ANMC Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurse/Midwife Scholarship $5,000
This scholarship, introduced in 2016, is made possible by generous donations to the Australian Nurses Memorial Centre.
ANMC Commemorative Scholarship $5,000
Our Commemorative Scholarship is made possible by the generous donations to the ANMC from its members and supporters.
Scholarships administered by the ANMC
Beth Cuthbertson Scholarship
The family of Beth Cuthbertson proudly sponsors this scholarship valued at $10,000 to be awarded to a nurse or midwife practising in regional or rural Australia.
Michael Dent Scholarship
This scholarship valued at $10,000, generously sponsored by Mrs Sandra Dent, herself a retired nurse, to honour her late husband Michael Dent.
Prince Henry's Affiliates Scholarship
The aim of this scholarship is to increase access to postgraduate study for nurses undertaking further qualifications in patient-centred acute-care nursing.
Valued at $10,000, generously sponsored by Miss Marion Kilvert - life member of the ANMC.
Rosemary Norman Grants
Rosemary Norman Grants provide opportunities for applicants in the later stages of their PhD or who are undertaking other nursing or midwifery postgraduate courses. The funding available for these grants ranges from $10,000–$40,000.
Full time PhD 3-year scholarship
'Babe' Norman Scholarship
The Rosemary Norman Foundation also generously funds the 'Babe' Norman Scholarship. This scholarship is for a nurse or midwife commencing, or in the early stages of, a PhD at an Australian university. This scholarship is offered for full-time study and is valued at $40,000 per year for 3 years.
Scholarship applications are currently OPEN
ANMC Scholarships
ANMC Vivian Bullwinkel Award
This award to honour Vivian Bullwinkel, one of the ANMC founders, is generously supported by her nephew Mr John Bullwinkel.
Lieutenant Colonel Vivian Bullwinkel AO MBE ARRC ED (1915–2000) joined the Australian Army Nursing Service in 1941 and was sent to Singapore before it fell to Japanese forces. The Australian nurses were evacuated on the SS Vyner Brooke, which was then bombed by the Japanese. Survivors clambered onto lifeboats, some being lost at sea, and others came to shore at Bangka Island. Vivian was the sole survivor of the subsequent massacre on Radji Beach and survived more than three years of internment in a Japanese prisoner of war camp
Vivian went on to a distinguished career. She became a pioneer in the nursing profession, devoted to improving the welfare and education of nurses. Vivian served on the council of the Australian War Memorial, and later as president of the Australian College of Nursing. She never forgot those local Malaysian women who had fed her and Private Cecil Gordon Kinsley, a soldier survivor of the SS Vyner Brooke. In their honour, she set up a program for women from that region to train as nurses in Australia. Vivian also became Director of Nursing at the prestigious Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital in Melbourne.


ANMC Betty Jeffrey Award
Betty Jeffrey OAM (1908–2000) is honoured through this Award as one of the ANMC’s founders. In 1941 Betty joined the Australian Army Nursing Service. She was posted to the 2/10th Australian General Hospital, Malacca in Malaya and later to Singapore. Betty was evacuated from Singapore on the SS Vyner Brooke, which was bombed by the Japanese. Betty spent two-and-a-half days in the water, eventually reaching the mangroves at Bangka Island. She was taken prisoner, spending three-and-a-half years in captivity. Betty managed to keep a diary of her experiences as a prisoner of war, which was published as White Coolies.
After returning home to Melbourne and spending two years in hospital, Betty travelled around Victoria in 1947 with Vivian Bullwinkel to raise funds in order to establish a Nurses Memorial Centre in Melbourne, a place for nurses to meet and further their education. This was a promise she had made in the prison camp: that upon their return, the nurses would create a living memorial to those who did not return. Betty became the Nurses Memorial Centre’s first administrator in 1949 when it opened, and later its patron.
ANMC and Australian Legion of Ex-Servicemen and Women Scholarships
The Australian Legion of Ex-Service Men and Women (ALS) was formed originally to offer assistance and support to Australian ex-servicemen and women. In 2006 the Australian Legion, through the Victorian Veterans Council, made available funds for scholarships to further the education of registered nurses in the areas of aged care and palliative care nursing.
The Australian Nurses Memorial Centre in association with the Australian Legion of Ex-Service Men and Women is pleased to offer scholarships for nurses undertaking postgraduate study in care of the older person or palliative care. The scholarships are for one year of study at a recognised Australian university.
ALS Scholarships are available to nurses who are either current or ex-service personnel or a family member of a person who has served in the Australian Defence Force at any time. Priority will be given to nurses who are committed to working in a rural or regional area on completion of their study program.

ANMC Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurse/Midwife Scholarship
This scholarship, introduced in 2016, is made possible by generous donations to the Australian Nurses Memorial Centre. The ANMC recognises the contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses and midwives to the health and wellbeing of the community.
We are pleased to continue support of our First Nations scholarship for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses and midwives undertaking postgraduate nursing or midwifery studies at an Australian university or other accredited higher education institution.
ANMC Mental Health Scholarship
The Australian Nurses Memorial Centre is pleased to offer an annual Mental Health Scholarship for nurses undertaking postgraduate study in mental health care. The aim of this scholarship is to increase access to postgraduate study for nurses undertaking further qualifications in mental health.
The ANMC Mental Health Scholarship is for one year of study at an Australian university.. .


ANMC Commemorative Scholarship
The Australian Nurses Memorial Centre is pleased to offer an annual Commemorative Scholarship for nurses undertaking postgraduate study. The aim of this scholarship is to increase access to postgraduate study for nurses undertaking further qualifications.
The ANMC Commemorative Scholarship is for one year of study at an Australian university..
Rosemary Norman Grants and the 'Babe' Norman Scholarship
Rosemary Norman Grants provide opportunities for applicants in the later stages of their PhD or who are undertaking other nursing or midwifery postgraduate courses.
The 'Babe' Norman Scholarship is awarded to nurses and midwives who have exceptional research potential to undertake a full-time clinical research doctorate at an Australian university. Applicants will be commencing or in the very early stages of PhD candidature.
Rosemary Norman Grants and the ‘Babe’ Norman Scholarship are generously funded by the Rosemary Norman Foundation, established in 2008 by Miss Rosemary Havill Norman (1933–2021). Rosemary graduated from the Melbourne School of Nursing in 1954 before completing a staffing year at the Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH) followed by midwifery training at the Royal Women’s Hospital. She returned to the RMH to work in various clinical areas for more than a decade before beginning her teaching career at the hospital. Rosemary later completed a Diploma in Nursing Education and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons). She progressed to educator positions at the College of Nursing, Australia and later at the Royal District Nursing Service, where she engaged in research to improve practice.
Rosemary held an enduring dedication to nursing and commitment to further education for nurses and midwives, now perpetuated in the aims of the Foundation and scholarships named in honour of her late father, Reginald ‘Babe’ Havill Norman (1893–1973).


Beth Cuthbertson Scholarship
Sister Mary Elizabeth Cuthbertson was one of the sixty-five Australian nurses evacuated on the SS Vyner Brooke, which was sunk by Japanese planes off Bangka Island.
There was no word of Beth (the name she was always called) until two years later when her father received a telegram from the Army Nursing Service that she was missing, believe drowned.
It was not until September 1945 that Beth’s family was notified that she was dead. Sister Vivian Bullwinkel told how Beth had survived the bombing of their ship and had swum ashore to Radji Beach, Bangka Island. Beth was then massacred alongside twenty-one other nurses who were marched back into the sea and gunned down by the Japanese soldiers.
Beth Cuthbertson's family is proud to sponsor this scholarship for a student undertaking postgraduate nursing studies at a recognised Australian university, preferably working in regional or rural Australia.
The Beth Cuthbertson Scholarship is valued at $10,000
Prince Henry's Affiliates Scholarship
The Prince Henry’s Affiliates Scholarship was established by the former Prince Henry’s Hospital and named in honour of past trainees of the respected Melbourne hospital.
The Australian Nurses Memorial Centre (ANMC) is pleased to administer the Prince Henry’s Affiliates Scholarship for nurses undertaking postgraduate study in patient-centred acute care. Any course of study or research in nursing that aims to improve patient health outcomes or the experience of care in an acute care setting would qualify the applicant for this Scholarship.
The aim of this scholarship is to increase access to postgraduate study for nurses undertaking further qualifications in patient-centred acute care nursing.
This scholarship is generously funded by Miss Marion Kilvert, an ANMC life member. Â
The Prince Henry's Affiliates Scholarship is valued at $10,000

Michael Dent Scholarship
The Michael Dent Scholarship is generously sponsored by Mrs Sandra Dent, a local St Kilda Road resident and supporter of the ANMC.
Michael John Dent was born in Hull, Yorkshire England in 1948 and was brought up in New Zealand. Michael attended Auckland Grammar School progressing to Auckland University to study law at the age of 17. Michael had a very successful career, sadly cut short in December 1998 when he died in an accident aged 50.
Sandra herself a retired nurse, continues to take a keen interest in all things nursing and is pleased to be in a position to contribute to the ANMC in the form of this scholarship in the hope that someone else experiences the joy and satisfaction of nursing and midwifery.
The Michael Dent Scholarship is valued at $10,000
Scholarship Application Checklist
READ ALL RELEVANT INFORMATION AND CRITERIA
Read application criteria for each scholarship for which you apply
COMPLETE THE APPLICATION FORM
Complete the applicable sections of the relevant application form, either coursework or research
UPLOAD REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Preface each uploaded file with your surname
SAVE AND SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION
Save your application as you go along and submit it when you are ready
