I have only one memory of my grandmother. These inspirational women from the General Post Office (GPO) Cumann na mBan nursing contingent ferried the wounded under grave danger to Jervis Street Hospital on the eve of the surrender Friday, April 28th in 1916. One of the women in this group was my maternal grandmother Lucy Agnes Smyth. One previously unnamed and forgotten group of 12 Irishwomen came immediately to mind, and the story of their harrowing journey through the 1916 battlefield.
In the following days, as isolation, physical distancing and nationwide travel restrictions became a new reality in Australia, I thought about the resilience and resourcefulness of Irish women before me, who had survived tough times and made a significant contribution to their country.
When the worldwide call from the Irish health services came to Irish citizens, for frontline assistance with the emerging Covid-19 crisis in Ireland, my thoughts turned to how to serve my country of birth from my adopted home in Melbourne.
