A photo of the façade of the Glen Innes Hospital shows the original open verandas on the female ward and private wards.
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“… A petition for the establishment of a hospital from concerned citizens was submitted to the Municipal Council in 1873.
“The townspeople then set about raising the money for the project...
“The hospital committee under the direction of Mr W. A. Dumaresq and Mr George Martin JP, PM discussed the advisability of going ahead with the construction of the proposed hospital building.
Collections were being taken up from shearers on properties...
“Prior to the meeting, Mr Martin had enlisted the assistance of Dr Alfred Roberts in order to obtain an architectural plan and other advice.
“Dr Roberts was a Sydney physician who had travelled widely in Britain and Europe studying hospital design, administration and nurse training…
“The advice submitted by Messrs Mansfield Bros. Sydney architects estimated the cost of the buildings of the Glen Innes Hospital to be 1750 and this was accepted by the committee.
“In order to save funds they decided to build that portion of the plan which would accommodate male patients. Mr Martin was asked to obtain the architects plan at once in order that tenders could be called for the work as soon as possible.
“Collections were being taken up from shearers on properties… The miners and other concerned people from Vegetable Creek, Blair Hill, and Kookabookra were also solicited and contributed freely.
“An approach for government funds had been made to member for Tenterfield, Mr Dillon and assurances given that there would be pound-for-pound assistance towards the enterprise…
“Mr E. W. Wright completed the hospital building by September 1877 at a cost of £1164…
“The Examiner reported the pavilion… a fine well-lighted spacious room of ornamental brick with a shingled roof and an eight foot wide verandah…”
This was taken from Glen Innes Hospital 1974-1956, by Jeannie Ross Fraser.
Many additions were made to the original pavilion and patients transferred to a new 100-bed hospital in 1956. Since 1970, the historical society has operated a folk museum in the complex.
A grant from Heritage Near Me, of $38,000, will enable the renovation of the façade of the building. (Thanks to duty clerk Steve Pearce for preparing the application.)
Read more Glen Innes history:
