The Story of Ella Cooke

In the winter of 1914, Ella Cooke was looking forward to a grand adventure. The Auckland-born nurse and her twin sister Lily had just departed New Zealand in a boat bound for Vancouver, New York and finally England. She was looking forward to seeing the sights, and eventually a working holiday in London, or maybe Paris.

The outbreak of war in July 1914 dashed all her plans. Rather than return home, Ella joined the Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve. The work was extremely difficult, and Ella described it in her letters as 'frightfully hard'.

The story of Ella Cooke, captured below in our Online Cenotaph, is one of ceaseless dedication to nursing the ill and ailing back to health. Her work is reflected in the remarkable efforts of New Zealand's doctors, nurses and healthcare staff, who are taking every measure to ensure the ongoing safety of New Zealanders. A huge thank you to these essential workers for the incredible job they do.

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Scam Alert: Fake information regarding December Bonuses from MSD

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

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