Ellen Savage

Ellen Savage, GM (17 October 1912 – 25 April 1985) was an Australian army nurse and hospital matron

from Quirindi, New South Wales.

Ellen Savage was born on 17 October 1912 at Quirindi, New South Wales, where she grew up as a child.

She was the third daughter of Henry Savage and Sarah Ann Savage (née Mulheron).

Her father was born in Russia and her mother was born in New South Wales.

Savage was a good swimmer, keen on surfing, at Newcastle, but did suffer from seasickness.

As a child Savage attended Quirindi Convent school.

Savage trained as a nurse at Newcastle Hospital from 1929, and graduated in 1934.

She studied obstetrics at the Women's Hospital, Crown Street, Sydney, and mothercraft at Tresillian Mothercraft Training School, Petersham.

She passed her midwifery examination in June 1936.

Savage was an army nurse from 1941 to 1946, and then worked in other hospitals until she retired in 1967, a nursing career of 41 years.

She was a Catholic, and while overseas after her scholarship studies, had a private audience with the Pope.

One report on the sinking of the Centaur states that she snatched up her rosary beads while abandoning ship, while another directly contradicts this.

Savage lived in Gordon, Sydney, New South Wales.

Savage was the only nurse to survive the sinking of the hospital ship Centaur off the Queensland coast in 1943.

She was a founding member of the Australian College of Nursing, and a recipient of the George Medal and of a Florence Nightingale memorial scholarship.

Savage signed herself as Ellen in formal letters, and most reporting is by that name, including her official war service record.

However, significant reporting in otherwise reliable sources is with Eleanor.

Her own family referred to her as Nelly.

In 1947 she won a Florence Nightingale memorial scholarship for postgraduate study in England, where she gained a diploma in nursing administration from the Royal College of Nursing.

Savage was the inaugural recipient of this scholarship for New South Wales.

Her overseas studies also included observational tours of hospitals in England, Scandinavia, and Canada.

Savage complete her scholarship studies with distinction.

The scholarship was supported by funding provided through a Red Cross appeal.

Savage was presented to the British Royal Family in May 1948 while she was in England studying.

The public's interest in Savage continued after her return from her scholarship studies in England.

Reporting followed her to many places and on many activities, for example nurses outings organised by the Royal Queensland Yacht Club, as a guest speaker, meeting survivors of other war incidents, and presentation to Lady Louis Mountbatten.

Savage was a founding member (1949), council-member (1952–59), and president (1957–58) of the Australian College of Nursing.

There was considerable public interest in Savage's activities, and what she did, her presentation to Mrs. Roosevelt, and for example attending reunions and presenting nurse trainee awards, when she was taken ill, and the launching of ships.

Reporting on her included when and where she went for holidays.

Media attention to Savage's actions after the Centaur sinking was wide and varied in nature and includes presentation in cartoon comic strip format.

Savage was formally described by the Women's Weekly as one of their Interesting People in 1949.

Savage was the first guest at Centaur House.

A sponsor provided her a car for the five days of her visit and stay.

Public interest followed Savage well after the war, for example, at ANZAC Day reunions, being individually noteworthy in 1983 ANZAC day radio programming, and being singled out in AHS Centaur commemorations in 1995.

The public's interest in Savage was an opportunity realised by her.

Savage took many opportunities to support charity work, especially war related, for example Legacy, or nursing related, and the Red Cross.

She was actively involved in fund-raising that helped to establish Centaur House, Brisbane, an educational and social centre for nurses.

Of note is that Savage wrote an open letter while studying in England supporting Centaur House.

Savage was the guest of honour for multiple events for this cause.