UNSUNG HEROES
About the author - Eleanor Nunis

Eleanor was born in Muar, a small provincial town on the west coast of Malaya, seemingly safe from the horror of war that raged throughout Europe in 1940. But her world and that of her family were about to descend into chaos as the fall of Singapore signalled the end of the British Empire and also any chance of a normal childhood.

Although too young to remember the details, Eleanor grew up listening to the stories of her parents (Ivy and Justin) and their accounts of life before and after the Japanese occupation of Malaya and Singapore.

In January 1958, Eleanor left Muar for Singapore where she took up nursing. She married Malcolm Nunis in 1962 and in the following years had a daughter Jean-Marie and then a son, Christopher. Sadly, their darling daughter passed away in May 1966, before the age of three. Their second son, Trevor was born in October 1967.

After working in Operating Theatre at Singapore General Hospital, Eleanor did a specialist theatre course in Melbourne, Australia and on her return to Singapore was appointed Nurse-In-Charge of the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Theatre.

In 1976, Eleanor, Malcolm and their boys, Christopher and Trevor migrated to Melbourne. It was a wonderful family reunion. At last Justin’s wish for his family to settle in Australia was realised.

There was jubilation in December of the same year when a third son, Mark, was born to Eleanor and Malcolm. Justin and Ivy were now the proud grandparents of five grandsons.

Eleanor continued with her nursing career and became Theatre Supervisor of the Operating Suite at a Private Hospital in Melbourne.

She and Malcolm are now retired. It was a time of great sadness when Alexander, their youngest grandson passed away in October 2012. They feel blessed that they presently have eight grandchildren who bring them great joy, and two great-grandsons.


In 2015 she began working on Unsung Heroes weaving a narrative of her rich family history and the war that engulfed them. The book was published in 2017 by DM BOOKS and it marked the completion of something she had always wanted to do - to record for her family the difficulties they endured during World War II. 

This was her second book after A Time & A Season.

Sadly Eleanor passed away on December 5 2019 surrounded by her family in Australia.

Rest well ...