Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Daughter of Conrad Emanuel SORENSEN and Hannah Maria Antionette nee JACOBSEN

Mentioned in Despatches
Date of Commonwealth of Australia Gazette: 7 November 1918
Location in Commonwealth of Australia Gazette: Page 2112, position 25
Date of London Gazette: 11 June 1918
Location in London Gazette: Page 6926, position 1

Awarded Royal Red Cross (1st Class)
Date of Commonwealth of Australia Gazette: 6 October 1919
Location in Commonwealth of Australia Gazette: Page 1463, position 16
Date of London Gazette: 3 June 1919
Location in London Gazette: Page 6952, position 1

Awarded French Medaille Des Epidemies, Gold
Date of Commonwealth of Australia Gazette: 17 October 1919
Location in Commonwealth of Australia Gazette: Page 1532, position 21
Date of London Gazette: 21 July 1919
Location in London Gazette: Page 9231, position 1

APPRECIATION OF AUSTRALIAN NURSES

Major (Dr) Lee Abbott, of Bombay,in a letter to Mrs. Sorensen, of Sandgate, regarding her daughter, Sister Sorensen, formerly of the Brisbane General Hospital, writes -'I feel it my bounden duty to write you a short letter of appreciation of your daughter It is in age of changes, and all nursing sisters who have been six months or more in a hospital ship and being transferred to hospitals ashore.  The result has been that the last time we were in Bombay all our Australian Sisters were transferred.  It was a great blow to us for we realised what splendid nurses, from all points of view, they were.  Never have I worked with those more capable.  Your daughter was the Sister in my ward for some time and I am sure many an invalid had her to thank for being made comfortable, further, many  a mother, and maybe wife, also thanks your daughter for having saved her dear one's life. Quite a number of cases she absolutely dragged out of the grave by her assisuous care and resource."

The Brisbane Courier Tuesday 05 December 1916 page 7

At a recent meeting of the Committee of Management of the Hospital for Sick Children, Brisbane, Miss Christine Sorensen was appointed matron. Miss Sorensen received her early training at the Brisbane General Hospital during the years 1910-13, after which she was appointed to the staff, being in charge of the Infectious Diseases Branch. She passed her State registration examination in 1913, and was elected a member of the Australian Trained Nurses' Association. Upon the outbreak of war Miss Sorensen volunteered for service abroad, and sailed on the first hospital ship to leave Queensland. She subsequently served in Egypt, India, Mesopotamia Macedonia and England. During her service abroad she was promoted to the position of matron of the 60th British General Hospital at Salonika, which contained approximately 2000 beds.  During April of last year she was appointed matron of the Rosemouut Repatriation General Hospital, the chief repatriation hospital in Queensland, where she is held in the highest esteem by patients, medical staff, and nursing staff.

Worker Brisbane Thursday 30 March 1922 page 20

Nursed a million in 23 years

A QUEENSLAND matron who has nursed more than a million patients is about to retire.  She is Matron Sorensen — of the 2000 bed Brisbane General Hospital, the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere.  Matron Sorensen yesterday announced she would retire at the end of this year — after 23 years as matron.  Miss Sorensen decided when she was 10 that she would be a nurse. She had just seen a polio victim. On September 16, 1910, she enrolled as a probationer at the Brisbane General Hospital.  In her early twenties Sister Sorensen became matron of a 2000-bed British military hospital at Salonika (Greece).
WAR HONOURS She came back to Australia mentioned in despatches, and wearing the Royal Red Cross and a coveted French decoration.  Miss Sorensen became matron of the Brisbane General Hospital in 1928.  Some of her views yesterday were: —Nursing: I'd have it all over again if I could. Nurses: They could never get hard. Doctors: As good a sever. Patients: Being a woman, naturally I prefer to nurse men.

The Courier Mail Saturday 25 August 1951 page 3