More than 300 people turned out on a sunny Saturday morning to witness the unveiling of the bronze busts to honour slain local World War II nurses Dorothy Gwendoline ‘Bud’ Elmes and Caroline Mary ‘Carrie’ Ennis.

The busts by statue makers Evalon Bronze stand either side of a park bench near the cenotaph at Oxley where the nurses are named alongside soldiers of the shire who also died in World War II.

The latest memorial was made possible thanks to the generous support of local individuals and businesses.

Sister Elmes and Sister Ennis (commissioned posthumously as Lieutenants) were among the last 65 nurses to be evacuated from Singapore on 12 February, 1942 aboard the Vyner Brooke.

The small vessel was bombed by the Japanese and sunk within half an hour.

Sister Elmes made it to Radji beach on Bangka Island where she and 21 other Australian nurses were massacred - the only survivor being Sister Vivian Bullwinkle - while Sister Ennis was one of 12 nurses who were lost at sea following the bombing.

The unveiling was hosted by Georgina Banks, great niece of Dorothy 'Bud' Elmes and author of 'Back to Bangka' based on her investigation into the death of her great aunt.

Along with Georgina there were more than 100 descendants of the two nurses who travelled from near and far to attend the historic event.

The busts themselves were unveiled by respective descendants of the two nurses with Valerie Bodger, youngest sister and only surviving sibling of Caroline 'Carrie' Ennis unveiling her memorial, while Rowland Banks (Bud’s nephew) and Sally Alsop (Bud’s niece) unveiled the bust of their aunt.

In one of the most moving moments of the memorable event, Shelley West, great niece of Caroline Ennis, guided the almost blind Valerie's hands to the bust of her sister to enable the 94-year-old to feel the face and inscription.

Guest speakers included Independent MP for Indi Helen Haines, Rural City of Wangaratta Mayor Cr Irene Grant, and Kath Stein, former director of Defence Force Nursing and current president of the Australian College of Nursing.

"I am incredibly grateful to the local community for embracing these two local nursing heroes; for the fundraising efforts and personal donations, for the involvement from the Oxley Hall and Remembrance Committee, those who set up and packed down, the Wangaratta cadets, the incredible bakers and sandwich makers, for the people of Cheshunt who kept their memory alive with memorial trees and plaques all these years," Georgina said.

"Please go and visit these bronze busts, sit on the bench between them and spend some time with Bud (my great aunt) and Carrie.

"As nurses they were always there to care for and tend to others.

"I love the idea that they are there to watch over and care for you too.

"The story of how these memorial busts came to being is a story of passionate local women coming together to memorialise local women of the past.

"As Helen Haines said, a contribution to breaking the bronze bust ceiling!

"Australia now has another two statues of significant women; nurses, who, in wartime and peace deserve to be elevated."

The busts are in addition to other local memorials to the nurses including a plaque at Northeast Health Wangaratta, a plaque and memorial tree at Cheshunt Hall, and a memorial for Bud at the Corowa Hospital where she trained.

Following the ceremony all and sundry were invited to the Oxley hall for a large range of delicious home-made treats for lunch.