Tasmanian nurse Sharon Bown to give national address to commemorate Anzac Day
A Tasmanian nurse who narrowly escaped death in a helicopter crash and went on to serve in Afghanistan will ask Australians to summon the Anzac spirit in a national Anzac Day address.
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A TASMANIAN nurse who narrowly escaped death in a helicopter crash and went on to serve in Afghanistan will ask Australians to summon the Anzac spirit in a national address to commemorate Anzac Day.
Sharon Bown’s life changed forever after the devastating accident in East Timor.
“There were people who had spent their entire careers in uniform but hadn’t been deployed,” said Ms Bown, who left her family in Hobart to join the Royal Australian Air Force in her early 20s.
“I’d been there since morning tea time.”
In 2004, she was flying in a helicopter to a remote area of East Timor to evacuate a woman experiencing birth complications.
A severe storm and driving rain caused the helicopter to plummet to the ground as it tried to land near the remote village of Same.
She suffered a spinal injury, a shattered jaw and burns from the aviation fuel.
“It almost took my life,” Ms Bown said. “It eroded my career and my ability to fulfil that dream, but I survived.”
It’s that fighting spirit and passion for nursing that saw Veterans Affairs Minister Darren Chester pick the retired wing commander and mother-of-two to address the nation in a scaled-back Anzac Day service at the Australian War Memorial next weekend.
“The request for me to speak was a surprise but an incredible honour,” Ms Bown said.
“It comes with pressure, but I have had tougher days and that’s what gets me through.”
As Ms Bown was recovering from the brutal consequences of her accident and was fighting to return to service, she lost her mother to breast cancer and three of her colleagues in a separate helicopter crash.
Her father, a policeman, was also the victim of an attempted murder, which culminated in her being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Her advice to others now is to not underestimate injured veterans.
The road to recovery was long but Ms Bown exceeded expectations and, in 2008, she commanded a combat surgical team in Afghanistan — Australia’s longest-running military engagement.
“I climbed out of a helicopter wreck and led a team in Afghanistan,” she said.
While coronavirus restrictions will keep people away from the Australian War Memorial next weekend, Ms Bown will join Prime Minister Scott Morrison in Canberra for a televised national service, where she will speak on behalf of veterans, serving members and their families.
She said the pandemic had reminded Australians of the importance of our healthcare providers and what we were capable of as a nation.
“It’s important for Australians to understand that we have what is necessary to overcome this challenge,” she said.
“Military nurses and doctors have always been put in situations where the resources didn’t meet the demand. It’s a reminder of what we are capable of.
“While we hold the Anzacs in honour, we are their descendants. Even if you are Australian by choice, our way of life is built on those foundations.
“This is the year we need to reflect on what that means and how does that take us forward to deal with the current crisis.”
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