Nurse recruitment for trained nurses in Anglo-Boer War and the lead up to departure was very different between the eastern Australian colonies that sent nurses to South Africa and the the west. This paper will look at some of these differences and consider why they occurred. While the nurses were supported by both the public and colonial governments alike in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide, they were often discouraged and frustrated in Perth. This difference was especially pronounced at the departure of the nurses were they were  feted as angels and treated like pop stars in the east and all but forgotten in Fremantle. Drawing largely on media articles the paper will show the contrast between colonies that were not only divided by distance but also by local politics and practices. It will also consider the precarious status of the nursing profession and its relationship to the medical profession.