Alumni and Supporters

Anita Clayton is a retired nurse who has spent more than 30 years improving the health and wellbeing of vulnerable people, both through her work with remote and rural communities, and now in retirement as a Red Cross Volunteer and with the Arthritis Foundation.

Anita spent more than 28 years at the Perth Chest Clinic. This dedication to promoting equity of care to diverse populations has supported the sustainability and growth of the Western Australian Tuberculosis Control and the Humanitarian Entrant Health Service programs.

Anita has left a legacy for nurses and the wider community through her compassion and professionalism to provide care for vulnerable populations across remote, rural and urban settings in Australia.

After growing up in post-WW2 England, Anita began her nursing training in London in 1965 at University College Hospital. Throughout her career, Anita worked in some of the most challenging areas of healthcare in order to make a difference to vulnerable communities.

Anita relocated to Perth in 1977 to join the Australian Inland Mission (AIM). The AIM was established with the vision of providing hospital and nursing facilities within a hundred miles of every Australian.

Her work with AIM saw Anita spend her early years across Western Australia providing care to remote communities as Sister in Charge in Halls Creek, some 2000km out of Perth and later in Fitzroy Crossing.

In 1979, Anita began working at the Perth Chest Clinic, progressing Western Australia’s response and treatment to Tuberculosis Control and driving the refugee health program. In 1991, Anita completed a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at ECU.

“I knew that to be competitive I would need complete a Bachelor of Nursing. One morning I was reading the paper over breakfast and saw an advert from ECU for their nurse conversion course,” says Anita.

“That very morning I went down, and I was made to feel very welcome. People were lovely, and the course flexibility suited me with my current employment.

“ECU were amazing about getting us started, particularly the older students. They had seen we hadn’t completed mathematics studies and things like that for a long time, and helped to bring us back up to speed. I don’t know of anywhere else that would have done that at that time.”

"I knew from an early age that I wanted to be a nurse, that was always a given."

After graduating, Anita became the Senior Nurse for both of these services. Through her work as a nurse and leader of these programs, Anita has provided the most vulnerable members of our society with the support and health care they need with respect and dignity.

The Western Australia Tuberculosis Control Program is a statewide public health service that operates as a resource centre and clinic. It provides information, diagnosis and treatment for tuberculosis.

The Humanitarian Entrant Health Service provides healthcare and supports the wellbeing of newly arrived refugees and humanitarian entrants to Western Australia by identifying and treating a range of health issues and providing immunizations.

Since her retirement in 2007, Anita has continued to support the health and wellbeing for vulnerable populations, particularly through her volunteer work. In her role, with The Red Cross Telecross service.

Anita provides daily support to elderly and housebound residents in WA to promote their wellbeing and safeguard health.

With the Arthritis Foundation she provides support for people living with chronic debilitating conditions and is the Community Representative on the Board.

In 2010, the Perth Chest Clinic was replaced with a new state-of-the-art centre for Tuberculosis Control and Humanitarian Entrant Health in Perth. To honour the leadership, dedication and care that Anita demonstrated throughout her career, the new facility was named the Anita Clayton Centre.

Anita has made an extraordinary impact on the provision of safe and high quality health care. She is a role model and leader who has built the reputation of nursing and demonstrated outstanding strength, resilience and dedication to her community.