Jeannie Ross Fraser was born in 1923 in Glen Innes. Her mother, Margaret Pearl Chaffey, matron of Inverell Hospital, married David John Fraser, a mechanical engineer from Inverness, in 1922. They lived in camps around Coolatai and Yetman in the early years, where Jeannie’s father was a successful water boring contractor. Their mobile home was a large tent surrounded by a wooden frame covered by fly wire. Jeannie began her education, like many in those days, by correspondence.

Then, on the advice of Bishop Moyes and his wife, she enrolled at NEGS. Jeannie started her NEGS education in 1939. She was a few years older than most of her classmates; however, that didn’t seem to matter. In Jeannie’s words, ‘thus, as a 16-year-old, began a marvellous four years amongst wonderful friends who understood, and loved and helped me with a most genuine concern, both teachers and fellow pupils.’ The NEGS motto ‘Whatever you do, do it unto the Lord, do it for good’ she said had always acted as a guiding light
for her. On being asked years later about her first impressions of boarding school, she replied, ‘The noise!’ Jeannie’s father died in October 1942, and her mother ten months later, so her guardian, Gordon Fraser (her father’s cousin), supported her for the last two
years of school. When Jeannie arrived at NEGS, she wasn’t considered ‘academic’ but was well educated in worldly affairs. Her father encouraged her to read the newspapers every day. So, she was always well informed about what was going on in the world. One of her old NEGS friends remembers that her father almost interrogated her with questions on world affairs. Her classmates were
not as interested in the rest of the world, except for what was happening in the war. Everyone had a brother or sister in the Army, so they were all worried about that.

At 20, Jeannie passed the Leaving Certificate with an A in English and Bs for her other subjects. However, at the last minute, she had to add Art to make up enough subjects – about which she wrote airily...’Not that I could draw or paint, but the history of Art was relatively easy to learn and most interesting!’ Jeannie began her nursing career at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney. There were eight girls from NEGS doing their nursing training at the same time. Jeannie did four years of nursing at RPA and then went to Launceston to complete the study of Midwifery at Queen Victoria Hospital. In 1951, she ended up in London and continued to nurse there. She worked at Westminster Hospital for 18 months. With the hospital providing staff for Buckingham Palace, she was privy to the arrangements that
went into setting up an operating theatre in the palace for surgery on King George VI. When the king died and was lying-in- state, in St Stephens Hall, Westminster, there were always nurses in attendance as an Honour Guard. Jeannie was with the first nurses on duty.

She returned to Sydney in 1954 and spent the rest of her working life as Theatre Sister at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children until her retirement in 1985. Jeannie returned to Glen Innes, where she bought her first house, having never had a home, having always lived in the Nurses Home. Jeannie was very active in the Glen Innes community. She was a member of several organisations, including the
Red Cross, Back to Glen Innes Week Committee, Meals on Wheels, Glen Innes Bowling Club and the Glen Innes Writers’ Group. She was also a patron of the Glen Innes and District Historical Society and curator of the medical section at the museum, called ‘The Jeannie Ross Fraser Memorial Medical Wing’. Jeannie also made numerous donations to the RPA’s Education Trust.

Jeannie died in 2016, aged 92. She was a very quiet, private individual who lived a frugal life but dedicated herself to her work and community.