For Group Captain Kath Stein, following in the footsteps of one of her military nursing role models is deeply meaningful.
"Australian Army nurse and World War 2 hero Lieutenant Colonel Vivian Bullwinkel was the president of the Royal College of Nursing of Australia in the 1970s, and I am honoured to be named president of the Australian College of Nursing in 2025," Group Captain Stein said.
"Vivian Bullwinkel was passionate about supporting and advocating for military nurses and was committed to advancing the nursing profession."
The Australian College of Nursing is Australia's peak professional body for nursing. It was established in 2012 after the merger of the Royal College of Nursing (Australia) and the College of Nursing (NSW).
The college provides education, advocacy, networking and leadership for nurses across Australia. Group Captain Stein is the first current serving ADF member to be president.
As Joint Health Command's Director of National Operations, Group Captain Stein is excited about being able to give back to the profession she has worked in for more than 30 years.
"I've served across many parts of Australia and on operations, witnessing personally how incredible our military and civilian nurses work to care for their patients," Group Captain Stein said.
"Being in a leadership role in an organisation such as the Australian College of Nursing, provides more opportunities for civilian and military nursing cross training and collaboration. This is something the ADF has been working hard to support. Many of our ADF nurses are reservists working predominantly in civilian health workplaces.
"The Australian College of Nursing prepares current nurses and nurses of the future with the skills to provide the best possible care to all Australians, when they need it.
"ADF nursing is a dynamic profession, which needs to continually adapt to meet the complexities of modern military health care. We couldn't do what we do without the support of the college."
The Australian College of Nursing provides professional development opportunities for nurses, including the Vivian Bullwinkel scholarships awarded in honour of the 21 Australian Army nursing officers and one civilian nurse murdered during the Banka Island Massacre in World War 2.
The announcement of Group Captain Stein's appointment was made at the Australian College of Nursing National Nursing Forum held recently in Canberra.
