HomeThe Port Curtis and Leichhardt District Hospital - an early start
Rockhampton's first hospital building was constructed on the Fitzroy River in 1858 on what is now Victoria Parade between Albert and Cambridge Streets. The flimsy prefabricated building had been shipped from Sydney to Rockhampton during the rush to the newly-discovered Canoona Goldfields, just north of Rockhampton.[1] Dr A C Robertson, who had been a Gladstone resident, went to Canoona at the time of the gold rush but soon returned to Rockhampton where he established a medical practice. He was also appointed as the first House Surgeon at the hospital but held the position for only a short time.[2]
This hospital ceased operation by mid-1859 at which time the residents petitioned Governor Denison that the private hospital site be set aside as a "Benevolent Institution" to be funded by fees and fines raised at the Court House. Subsequently two organisations were established which would have a long-term role in the care of the sick and needy in Rockhampton. These were the Port Curtis and Leichhardt District Hospital and the Benevolent Society.[3]
The enlarged hospital was reopened in 1860 and an additional wing was added in 1865.[3] In 1861, Dr William Callaghan arrived in Rockhampton and was appointed District Coroner and Government Medical Officer as well as taking on the role of House Surgeon at the hospital.[2] Horses were among his many interests and Rockhampton's Callaghan Park Racecourse is named after him.
The more substantial hospital served the community until 1868, by which time it had become very overcrowded. It is reported that:
"Under treatment in 1866 there were 291 males and 30 females, a total of 321, and 274 had been discharged. Deaths, mostly males, numbered 21. The number of patients treated was 381, a considerable increase on former years. The Matron was Mrs. Holland and the secretary-treasurer Mr J F Beddek, also occupied the position for some years when the new hospital was built on the Range".[3]
By 1865, the Hospital Committee had decided to erect a new hospital on a more elevated site on the Athelstane Range and began the planning. The foundation stone was laid in 1867 by the Mayor, Captain R M Hunter and the opening was commemorated with a Ball on 26 June 1868.[1] The large two storeyed brick building shown in the 1886 etching above was constructed to the design of a local architect, John Thomas Thorne.[4]
On 15 July 1868, 25 patients were transferred from the old to the new hospital.[1]
The building was extended in the late 1870's and additional buildings were constructed on the site in the 1880's. These were designed by another local architect, John Wilson.[4] In his book on the history of Rockhampton, Mr A E Hermann provides considerable detail on the difficulties which the local committee experienced in dealing with Governments of the day.
The Hospital's name was changed from Port Curtis and Leichhardt District Hospital to the Rockhampton Hospital in 1895.
Fortunately, there are quite a number of images available of the first buildings on the Athelstane Range site. The image at left below is a photograph which was taken in 1895. Yet another view of the original hospital is provided in the image on the right which is an 1884 etching of the end-on view of the building from the main gate in Canning Street.
Perhaps the most amazing view of all is provided by this wide format early 1900's photograph which shows the building and a number of staff-members as well as Rockhampton's first ambulance vehicle.
Although the remaining nineteenth century buildings on the Rockhampton Hospital site were demolished in 1986, many other notable buildings co-existed with them for decades. We will examine some of these, based on information and photographs which are part of the ACHHA collection.
While on-going improvements in medical science and treatment regimes are good news, unfortunately these advances leave no room for sentiment when it comes to deciding the fate of our hospital buildings which are demolished and replaced on a regular basis.
A very well known building on the site was the Lady Goodwin Maternity Hospital which was on the western end of the main building running parallel to North Street.
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This hospital was opened in 1930 to replace the previous Women's Hospital which had been located in West Street. Note the tall building in the centre of the photograph which was a lift tower which was part of a link between the original hospital seen on the right hand side of the photograph and the Lady Goodwin on the left.
Fortunately, there are a number of aerial photographs available which allow us to appreciate the overall layout of the hospital at different times. This one was taken around 1954.
In this photograph you can see the original 1868 building towards the centre left of the photograph, plus the lift tower and the Lady Goodwin. The building on the corner of North and Quarry Streets (lower right of the photograph) is the boiler house and laundry. The large, multi-storey building in the centre is the nurses' quarters opened in July 1954.
Nurses' quarters were one of the features of all early hospitals since trainees and nurses were required to 'live-in'. The 1930' era panoramic photograph below shows the hospital from the Quarry Street side. The building in the foreground is the first major nurses' quarters constructed around 1929. Some parts of the building were relocated from the former Children's Hospital.
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Unfortunately, these buildings were destroyed by fire on 28 September 1945 when many nurses lost their possessions. The sad sight of the fully burned-out building is depicted in the two photographs below.
It was not until July 1954 that a new nurses'quarters building with accommodation for 169 staff was opened. This is the large building in the 1954 aerial photograph above. These quarters which have been used by so many nurses now await their inevitable fate which is to be demolished by mid-2008 to make way for further redevelopment. However, before leaving this topic, the photograph below is of interest because it shows the quarters in the early construction stage (see centre-right of photograph).
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A further insight into the changing face of the hospital can be gained from this 1965 aerial photograph.
The nurses' quarters still tend to dominate the photograph although in competition with the large building in the centre which is a Commonwealth-funded Chest Clinic and Commonwealth Pathology Laboratory. This was built in 1955-56. The building to the left is a new maternity building which replaced the original Lady Goodwin which can still be seen on the right of the photograph. The split-level building at bottom-left houses four flats built to accomodate medical staff.
The cluster of buildings on Canning Street between the main entrance and the medical staff quarters have undergone a number of changes over the years and have served multiple purposes. The large L-shaped building closest to the Canning Street entrance is a former Outpatients' Department and Sister Kenny Clinic constructed in 1938 and opened by the Minister for Health and Home Affairs, Mr E M Hanlon on 25 June 1939.[4] A view of the building from a northerly aspect may be seen in the 1954 aerial photograph above. The building was later converted to a therapies block. After their demolition a dental clinic was built on part of the site. This ceased operation at the end of 2007 when a new $7.15 m Community Dental Clinic was opened in Quarry Street.
The building closest to the medical staff quarters is a Superintendent's Residence which was constructed in 1936. This building (and the fence in front of it) is heritage listed and is still in existence.
Since the demolition of the original buildings in 1986, the site has undergone a continuing series of major developments. The photograph at right shows part of the hospital at the beginning of 2008.
The 1954 Nurses' Quarters are still there but awaiting demolition as part of the on-going $93 m redevelopment program. One project which has been completed in April 2008 is an $8.43 m staff accommodation block to house up to 40 staff in 1, 2 and 3 bedroom units. This building is pictured below. $75.6 m is about to be spent on a new emergency unit and 30 additional medical beds. $1.8 m has been spent on a new Blood Donor Centre in Quarry Street.
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Sources
4. Queensland Government Environmental Protection Agency, 'Rockhampton Hospital – Therapies Block and Medical Superintendent's Residence', Extract from the Queensland Cultural Heritage Register, http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/projects/heritage/index.cgi?place=601967&back=1 accessed 02 January 2008.
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© Australian Country Hospitals Heritage Association Inc 2008