RN Kara Kulakowski Lonergan

Kara is a highly experienced registered nurse and midwife with a long connection to Lord Howe Island. She completed her hospital training at Nepean Hospital in the 1980s before going on to work in paediatrics and neonatal care at the Prince of Wales Children’s Hospital.

Kara first came to Lord Howe Island in 1987 on secondment and went on to work as the island hospital nurse for 14 years. After moving back to the mainland while her children attended secondary school, she continued to build broad clinical experience across emergency care at Prince of Wales Hospital, acute care at the Royal Hospital for Women, and cardiology at Eastern Heart Clinic.

In 2015, Kara returned to Lord Howe Island as the full-time hospital nurse, continuing in the role until 2020. Since then, she has remained on the casual nursing pool, providing support in busy times. She also holds a remote area X-ray licence.

At the start of 2026 Kara was persuaded to return to regular nursing in a new role as our practice nurse, focussing on preventative and chronic health care for our community.

Kara brings a huge range of experience and deep local knowledge to her role. She is well known for her practical, compassionate approach and her longstanding commitment to supporting the health of the Lord Howe Island community.