Class member and reunion organiser Frances Stapleton said the bond of friendship between the 30 class members was so strong, it was inevitable another reunion would be held.
"We might be here on one of those Zimmer frames, but we'll definitely be here," she said.
"We've all got a close bond. Nowadays, nursing students go flatting. But in our day, we all stayed together in the nurses' home [now Cumberland College hall of residence].
"We didn't need counselling if we had a bad day or someone died while we were on duty. We counselled each other by discussing it in one of the nurses' bedrooms at the home at the end of each shift.
"This is why we are so close," she said.
Mrs Stapleton said the 50th reunion was well attended, with some class members returning to Dunedin at the weekend from as far away as Israel.
The reunion included a cocktail evening at Cumberland College on Friday night, dinner at Ombrellos on Saturday night and a church service at Dunedin Hospital on Sunday morning.
Some also stayed at Cumberland College hall of residence during the weekend and reminisced, Mrs Stapleton said.
"The rooms are the same as they have always been, but the mattresses are all new and much more comfortable."
Most of the women started nursing when they were aged 17, Although they are now in their late 60s, many were still in the profession.
Mrs Stapleton said many of the nurses marvelled and laughed at the changes to the job since they started.
"When we came to nursing college, we had to bring a male fob watch, a pair of 7-inch-long scissors, four pairs of white stockings and pyjamas or nighties, white shoes, a laundry bag with our name on it, a dressing table mat and a duster.
"A lot has changed since those days."
