The Australian Women's Register

Summary

Judith Porter was born at Port Augusta, South Australia and began training at the Royal Adelaide Hospital in 1954. In 1958 she applied to the Department of External Affairs for a posting in Papua New Guinea and after her appointment in 1959 spent fifteen years in that country, in hospitals, schools of nursing, and finally as Superintendent of Nursing Education. On returning to South Australia in 1975, Judith was appointed by the Hospitals Department to set up and conduct the first post- registration course in community health nursing. At the end of 1975, she became Principal Nursing Officer in the Hospital Department which in 1977 became the South Australian Health Commission. She was the first nurse to be Chairman of the Nurses Board of South Australia.