Rosa Zelma Huppatz (20 July 1906 – 13 December 1982), known as Zelma Huppatz, was a South Australian nurse and matron who served in the Middle East and Australia during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and then as matron of the

Royal Adelaide Hospital The Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH), colloquially known by its initials or pronounced as "the Rah", is South Australia's largest hospital, owned by the state government as part of Australia's public health care system. The RAH provides tertiary hea ...

Early life and training

Huppatz was born on 20 July 1906 in

Peters Hill, South Australia Peters Hill, (518m), formerly Peter's Hill (the possessive apostrophe being officially deleted in December 1940) is the highest peak in the Belvidere Range of hills in South Australia, a northern extension of the Mount Lofty Ranges. Descriptio ...

. In 1930, Huppatz completed her surgical nursing training at the Adelaide Hospital with credit and passed her general nursing certificate the following year.

Career

After six years as staff sister at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, Huppatz applied for overseas war service as a nurse. She joined the

Australian Army Nursing Service The Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) was an Australian Army Reserve unit which provided a pool of trained civilian nurses who had volunteered for military service during wartime. The AANS was formed in 1902 by amalgamating the nursing servic ...

as a sister on 14 February 1940, was promoted matron in June 1942, major in March 1943 and lieutenant colonel in 1945. She served in the Middle East from April 1940 to February 1942 and then at Katherine, Northern Territory from August 1943 to August 1944. Huppatz was discharged on 1 August 1946 and transferred to the Reserve of Officers. In 1955, Huppatz was appointed matron of the Royal Adelaide Hospital, retiring in 1966.

Awards and honours

In 1945, Huppatz was recommended for, but not awarded, the

Royal Red Cross The Royal Red Cross (RRC) is a military decoration awarded in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth for exceptional services in military nursing. Foundation The award was established on 27 April 1883 by Queen Victoria, with a single class of Mem ...

(RRC). Huppatz was presented with the

Florence Nightingale Medal The Florence Nightingale Medal is an international award presented to those distinguished in nursing and named after British nurse Florence Nightingale. The medal was established in 1912 by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), f ...

by Lady Bastyan in Adelaide on 8 June 1963. In the 1966 Queen’s Birthday Honours, Huppatz was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE).

Death and legacy

Huppatz died on 13 December 1982 in Royal Adelaide Hospital and was cremated. She never married.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Huppatz, Rosa Zelma 1906 births 1982 deaths Florence Nightingale Medal recipients Australian Army personnel of World War II Female wartime nurses Women in the Australian military World War II nurses Created via preloaddraft Members of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century Australian women Australian colonels