Broken Hill Hospital's Foundation Stone (Far West New South Wales, Outback Australia)

            Planning for the original Broken Hill Base Hospital that would eventually accommodate a casualty department, operating suite, and both general and private wards to adequately meet the needs of the community began in 1937 and construction commenced in 1938. The foundation stone was laid in 1939 and the building opened in 1941 by the then Governor of New South Wales, Lord Wakehurst.

The building was designed by the Sydney and Melbourne based architects Leighton and Irwin, and was the first fully air conditioned building outside the metropolitan areas of Australia.

The building was constructed using reinforced concrete columns and beams with a combination of glazed clay bricks and plaster rendered brick external walls. Internal walls were hard plaster rendered hollow terracotta bricks.

The facility was built at a cost of £250 000 with funding coming from the mining companies, Hospitals Commission, and local citizens. The hospital was always short of funds until the advent of reliable Government subsidies in the late 1940s.

In 1937 the Broken Hill unions opposed the inclusion of private wards in the hospital stating "a public hospital knew neither race, creed, religion, nor class." They feared there would be two standards of care, one for the workers and another for the more affluent patients. This was resolved by the Minster's assurance that the Workers Contribution Fund would continue to operate and that the fund members could obtain private ward accommodation by paying the difference.

The hospital was built with the ironic result that a city generally impoverished was suddenly the possessor of one of the most modern hospitals in New South Wales. "This facility more than anything symbolised new civic confidence." (McDougall and Vines from Solomon's History of the Broken Hill Base Hospital)

Further development of the hospital facility was linked with growing awareness of industrial health within the community and additonal infrastructure was built to compliment the original building. Steam Generation Plant (1941/1962/1995); Kiosk (1941); Laundry Building (1952); Maternity Block (1954); Nurse Training School (1964); Town Dental Clinic (1968); Physiotherapy (1969); Cafeteria/Amenities Block (1970); Mortuary (1972); Pathology (1976); Medical Imaging (1978).

After 58 years of service, the hospital was demolished in 1999 making way for the new facility today.

Source: Broken Hill Base Hospital.

Taken on: January 1, 2024

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Sets appears in: • Broken Hill & Far West New South Wales (Wilyakali & Barkindji Country)

Groups appears in: • Sign of the Times (All Types of Signs)

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