Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Daughter of Rev. Charles Grenfell NICHOLAY and Mary Ann nee RAVEN
Educated Clifton High School, Bristol
Moved to Australia in 1888
Served as a Junior Nurse in the Afghan War
​Embarked on the SS 'Salamis' at Albany on 21st March 1900
Returned to Perth per 'Ranee'
Embarked for South Africa for second time 16 April 1901 per 'Antillian' from Albany

Did not marry

CORONATION
MEDALLISTS
Sister Mary Nicolay a Recipient Amona the Western Australian women recipients of Coronation medals there is included Sister Mary Nicolay, who is almost 87 years old. and who has had a colourful nursing career and gained a wide experience during her active years.
In 1888 she first came to this colony, having given up her position as matron of Dorchester Hospital to join her father who was a clergyman here.
The Parramatta, one of the first steamships, was the vessel by which she made the journey. Before her arrival her father approached the "Colonial Hospital, as the Perth Hospital was then known, and suggested that a trained nurse with experience such as that possessed by his daughter, would be of advantage to them, and it was ultimately arranged that she should take up duties there. Thus she became matron at the hospital, and there she worked for six years.
She pointed out to the authorities the advantages of engaging trained nurses from England, with a result that a contingent of nurses and a matron came out to the hospital. It was Sister Nicolay who opened the FIRST PRIVATE HOSPITAL in Perth, and this she conducted for several years before the outbreak of the Boer War. As she had been an Imperial Army nurse she thought it was only her duty to take part in the very urgent need for nursing sisters in Africa, and so she set out with ten nurses for the scene of action. She worked in several centres, and was I later sent to Ladysmith.
On her return from the Boer War she was appointed Inspection Matron of all hospitals in the State, and this cost she filled for a period of 25 years.
When she retired from service she was highly honoured by all with whore she had come in contact and received gifts of all kinds. One of the remarks which touched her in its sincerity and which paid tribute to her good work, was made by one of the doctors with whom she worked. He told her that the various staffs which she had controlled were unanimous in opinion that "she was a strict disciplinarian, but she was always just.'
One of the unpleasant features of her work in the past-or one might term it a risky feature was evidenced when she took charge of number of smallpox patients during an epidemic many years ago. There was no infectious diseases hospital in those days, so an emergency hospital was rigged up in tents, and was situated on what is the site of the present Infectious Diseases Hospital at Subiaco.
Sister Nicolay was a FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE TRAINEE ' having been one of the last pupil in which that pioneer of nursing superintended. Florence Nightingale always asked applicants for admission as probationers whether they could "give up everything-pleasures, dress, society, entertainments and all idea of marriage-" This naturally astonished the young woman, but her ambition was to take up the work, and she sacrificed the pleasures of a New Year celebration to present herself for duty on January 1. 1872. She worked at the Nightingale Home for four years, and found Miss Nightingale to be a Christian in always-no one could help loving her Her great lesson and motto for life to nurses were: -'Be steadfast and true.' and "Be self sacrificing in all thing through your life and never forget your life is given to Christ and His suffering people."
And Sister Nicolay has always endeavoured to live up to those principles, and has devoted her whole life to the service of others.
She is indeed deserving of the distinction which has been bestowed upon her when she receives the Coronation Medal destined to be placed amona her treasures.

Sunday Times Sunday 04 July 1937 page 30

LIFE OF SERVICE
Nurse Nightingale Trainee
So that she may enjoy-the declining years of a long life spent in alleviating the suffering of fellow-beings by visiting her many friends in Western Australia, the National Council of Women is making representations to the Minister for Railways for a special concession for Sister May Nicolay to travel on the railways and tramways. Having reached the age of 80 years, Sister Nicolay can look back upon a life, which has largely been devoted to community service. In the pursuit of her profession she became identified with important events in the history of the State. It is understood that Sister Nicolay is the only surviving trainee of the famous Nurse Florence Nightingale. She was a pioneer nurse in our State, and was associated in hat capacity with the Civil Service for some time. She left the service and opened a private hospital, but heard the call of her country and went to the Boer war. Returning, she again entered: the service and remained there until her final retirement having broken her service, she forfeited her right to a pension, but was eventually, in recognition of her long and valued work, was given a small compassionate allowance.
A few weeks ago the Sister celebrated her 80th birthday at a party tendered her by Mrs. Alfred Burt in the Cathedral schoolroom. Many of her old friends assembled to wish her 'Many happy returns of the day.' Some of those present, like the guest of , honor, had passed the 80 mark, and one the 90.
In the letter of request to the Minister, the secretary of the council (Mrs. F. A. Pratt) referred to the Sister's service to the community generally and Western Australia particularly.

The Daily News (Perth) Saturday 30 August 1930 page 9

From the Australian Dictionary of National Biography

Mary Ann Nicolay (1850-1939), Nightingale nurse and hospital matron, was born on 2 August 1850, probably at Chelsea, London, fifth of eight children of Rev. Charles Grenfell Nicolay, sometime librarian of King's College Hospital (which had a nursing school), and his wife Mary Ann, née Raven. Educated at Clifton High School, Bristol, young Mary Ann became a pupil-teacher. She joined the Nightingale School of Nursing at St Thomas's Hospital, London, on 13 March 1876, later recalling long days, cleaning as well as nursing, and writing notes for checking by Miss Nightingale. She left in March 1877 for the National Nursing Association, with 'good' to 'moderate' assessments—except for her truthfulness, which was 'unreliable'.

In 1878 Mary Ann, her mother and siblings joined her father in Western Australia. After about a year she went back to Britain, where she possibly worked in a hospital at Newport, Monmouth. Returning to Western Australia about 1888, she stayed with her widowed father at Fremantle. In 1890 she was appointed matron at Perth Colonial Hospital. She resigned after six months but stayed in office for the rest of the year. From 1891 Nicolay undertook private nursing. Her professional care was not cheap: ten guineas a month for midwifery cases, one guinea a day to nurse patients who had survived a major operation. By 1897 she was running a private hospital in North Perth. Although the main beneficiary of her father's will, she was never wealthy.

In March 1900, sponsored by the public, Sister Nicolay conducted ten nurses to the South African War in the steamer Salamis, despite criticism for taking scarce, trained personnel from local hospitals. Some of the group found their way into South African hospitals, but Nicolay returned to Western Australia; next year she was employed again at Perth hospital. From February 1902 she was inspecting and relieving matron, Perth, a post that also involved travel to government hospitals as far distant as Broome and Albany. She retired in 1917 but returned to Perth Hospital in 1919 during the influenza epidemic. In 1921 she was awarded honorary life membership of the Australasian Trained Nurses' Association; she was also a member of the Royal British Nursing Association.

Nicolay was credited with establishing a training regime for probationers and remembered as a disciplinarian. She brought modern nursing ideals to Western Australia and exerted a moral influence over the profession by her often-advertised links with the heroine Nightingale. She was also a strict Anglican churchwoman, as was her friend Jane Isabella Gill, matron of Perth Hospital to 1928, whom she visited every week to take lunch with in the nurses' dining room. In 1935, opening the Preliminary Training School for Nurses in Murray Street, she dedicated a grandfather clock to Gill's memory.

A short, plump and cheerful public figure, Nicolay always wore the blue, outdoor uniform of a Nightingale nurse, including bonnet with ribbons tied under her chin, and a belt that was said to be fastened with a St Thomas's buckle. She travelled twice weekly from her rooms in Subiaco to the Literary Institute to keep up with current publications. In April 1936 she spoke at the opening of the Florence Nightingale Club. Next year she was awarded the Coronation medal. She published several accounts embellishing her legend, including reminiscences in the Magazine(April 1930). Miss Nicolay died on 15 October 1939 in (Royal) Perth Hospital and was buried in Karrakatta cemetery.

http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/nicolay-mary-ann-13129 (adb.anu.edu.au)