Collections: WWI centenary

An extraordinary collection of postcards sent to a Boulder woman from men serving on the front line during the World War I have been the subject of detailed research by history curator Stephen Anstey. Six soldiers serving in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) sent more than 100 postcards to home-nurse Eliza 'Lida' Jane Downey while training or on active duty overseas. Lida was born in 1897 in Ballarat, Victoria, and moved to Boulder around 1900, where her father worked as a shift manager at the mines until he was killed in an accident. Lida's mother, Ellen, a trained midwife, established a maternity hospital at 126/128 Hamilton Street, Boulder. Lida trained as a home-nurse, but also helped at the hospital.