Discover the story of a trailblazing woman who influenced generations of Canberra nurses and left a lasting legacy for the community.

Sylvia Curley was born in 1898 and grew up on the Duntroon Estate and Mugga-Mugga Cottage. Qualifying as a general nurse in 1925, Sylvia began her career in rural New South Wales before being appointed at the Canberra Community Hospital in 1938. She arrived to find a hospital in disarray, with poor standards of care and low staff morale. Always up for a challenge, Sylvia worked tirelessly to modernise the hospital and improve nursing education. Sylvia remained at Canberra Hospital until 1966, witnessing amazing developments in medicine such as the introduction of penicillin. Her passion for Canberra and its history led to her gifting Mugga-Mugga Cottage to the people in 1995 – it now forms part of the Galleries, Museums and Heritage portfolio of the ACT Government. To celebrate her achievements and the recently acquired Canberra Hospital Collection, CMAG presents objects, uniforms and photographs alongside personal items that belonged to Sylvia from the Curley Collection of ACT Historic Places.