Sister Kenny Museum Official Unveiling of Rotary Polio Timeline

The Member for Condamine, Mr Pat Weir MP; Rotary Club of Jindalee President, Mr Rene Bongers and members; the Sister Kenny Museum Committee President, Ms Jan Lowing and members; Clinical Health Educator for Polio Australia, Mr Michael Jackson; relative of Sister Kenny, Ms Ros Scotney; Nobby State School staff and students; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls.

I begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the lands around Nobby, and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to all First Nations people with us this afternoon.

Graeme and I are delighted to be with you today to honour a remarkable pioneer in medical history – Sister Elizabeth Kenny.

Born here in Nobby 145 years ago, she went on to revolutionise the treatment of polio and, in the process, left an indelible mark on the field of rehabilitation medicine.

It’s difficult for us today to imagine the life-long distress caused by the world-wide polio epidemic a century ago.

It left countless children and adults with debilitating paralysis that severely limited their lives and imposed a lasting impact on their families and communities.

Conventional treatments of the time involved immobilisation and rigid bracing, which offered little hope for recovery. This was the bleak landscape into which Sister Kenny introduced her innovative approach, driven by both intuition and compassion.

Her treatment emphasised the importance of early mobilisation and physical therapy and, while greeted with scepticism at the time, was eventually proven to promote muscle recovery and improve function in patients who had once faced the grim prospect of permanent disability.

Her techniques not only improved the lives of individuals but also laid the foundation for modern approaches to rehabilitation.

In the process, Sister Kenny provided an outstanding example of the importance of innovation in medicine and stoic dedication to changing harmful and entrenched health practices.

Today, we remember Sister Kenny not just for her achievements in physical therapy, but for her determination and commitment to bettering the lives of those in need.

Graeme and I are honoured on behalf of all Queenslanders to be celebrating the life and contribution of this remarkable woman, and we congratulate and thank the five Rotary clubs that have collaborated to produce this marvellous timeline, which will serve as a permanent tribute to Sister Kenny’s achievements.

I also thank the Sister Kenny Museum for embracing this unique opportunity to commemorate the world-wide impact of a courageous woman.

Sister Kenny’s compassion drove her to confront the establishment, and her story serves as a powerful reminder that progress often begins with a single, bold idea and a profound desire to make a difference.

It now gives me great pleasure to unveil this tribute to a remarkable woman and a truly great Australian.