Muriel Annie Linda Instone was born at Riversleigh, Thornbury, New Zealand on April 22, 1878 to Matthew and Emily (nee Brodrick) Instone. Matthew was a partner in the firm of Whittingham Bros & Instone - importers, merchants and commission agents who had offices at Thornbury, Riverton and Invercargill (1). In 1903 she is listed in the Electoral Roll as a nurse at the Homeopathic Hospital. The Homeopathic Hospital was renamed Prince Henry's Hospital in 1934. Muriel completed her training in 1905 and also successfully passed her Royal Victoria Trained Nurses' Association examinations in the December (2). Muriel's Attestation papers also note that she trained at the Women's Hospital and she had both a General certificate and a Midwifery Certificate. She also had experience in private nursing in Dunedin and Victoria and in private hospitals. (3).
In 1909 to 1913 the Electoral Rolls show that Muriel, and initially her sister Daphne who was also a nurse, were living at 16 William Street, South Yarra. In 1914 her address is I.Y.U., Pakenham. The I.Y.U. run in Pakenham was taken up in 1839 by Dr W. K. Jamieson. It was originally nearly 13,000 acres. In 1849, William Waddell took over the pastoral lease and after his death his widow, Annie purchased the pre-emptive right section plus other land. Mrs Waddell built a large brick house, pictured below, on the property in 1858 and this would have been where Muriel was living when she was on the property. The property at that time was around 4,800 acres.(4).
According to the Shire of Berwick Rate books, Robert and Constance (nee Etches) Staughton took over I.Y.U. in 1913/1914, which by then was only 2,000 acres. The Staughtons had four young children (5) and presumably Muriel was helping to care for them or another family member. In March 1915 the entire family came down with ptomaine poisoning or food poisoning and needed medical assistance, so they were fortunate they had an experienced nurse on hand.
Muriel enlisted in the Australian Army Nursing Service on May 1, 1915 and embarked on the Mooltan on May 18, 1915. She was 36 years old. Her next of kin was her mother of Dunedin, but 'in case of accidents' they were to inform Mr R. G. Staughton, of I.Y.U., Pakenham. Muriel served in hospitals in England, France and Egypt. She was promoted from the rank of Nurse to that of Sister in May 1919. She Returned to Australia on the Konigen Luise on December 19, 1919.(6).
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When Muriel was still in England, and still with the Australian Army Nursing Service she undertook a three month motor driving and workshop course at Mansions Motor Training Garage in London from June to September 1919. It was reported that she made good progress on her course and passed satisfactorily (7). Jane Eleanor Turner, another Army Nurse, also trained at Mansions, before her return after the War, you can read about her, here. It appears that driving and basic car maintenance was a skill that was thought useful for Army Nurses after they returned to civilian life.
Muriel returned to Melbourne in 1920 but I cannot find her in the Electoral Rolls. However, in 1924 she had to sign for the receipt of her three military medals and as you can see from the image below, her witness (or was it where she was living?) was Robert Staughton of Angelala of St Kilda Road, Melbourne. Angelala was at 546 St Kilda Road.
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At some stage Muriel returned to New Zealand and she was registered on April 30, 1930 as a Maternity Nurse (8). Two years later, on April 23, 1932 Muriel attended a reunion of returned Army nurses at Anzac House. The newspaper report notes that amongst those in attendance was Miss Instone, who has just returned from New Zealand (9). Muriel died on October 11, 1932 (10) aged 54 and is buried at Fawkner Cemetery.
At a later Army Nurse reunion her sister, Daphne (11) sent flowers in memory of her sister, Muriel.
Footnotes
(1) Birth notice (see below); New Zealand Births, Deaths and Marriages https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/search ; Whittingham Bros & Instone - multiple references in newspapers on Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/
(3) Muriel's Attestation papers from the National Archives of Australia https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=7366162
(4) Berwick Shire Rate Books; In the Wake of the Pack Tracks: a history of the Shire of Berwick now the City of Berwick and the Shire of Pakenham, published by the Berwick Pakenham Historical Society, 1982
(5) Their children were - Stephen Allen (born 1904); Millicent Mary (1905); Frank Harold (1908) and George Robert (1911)
(6) Attestation papers, see Footnote 2.
(7) Ibid
(8) Ancestry.com - Nurses and Midwives Register of New Zealand, 1903-1933
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