Mooroopna Hospital painting by Mooroopna artist Isa Kelly.
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Mooroopna Hospital part one
In the 1870s, Mooroopna emerged as a significant settlement in the Goulburn Valley. Its strategic location along the Goulburn River made it a focal point for commerce and transportation.
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This prominence naturally positioned Mooroopna as a suitable site for essential services, including healthcare facilities.
“From 1870 the township developed considerably and during the next seven or eight years Mooroopna grew quickly and far outdistanced Shepparton, and was much the more important township.
It was in 1880, when the railway was opened, that Shepparton got its opportunity, as the prices asked for land (by private landholders such as Archer and Morrell, etc) in the Mooroopna Main St were too high for intending purchasers, and Shepparton, being a government township, sites were reserved there for public buildings, and land prices were cheaper.” (History of Mooroopna Ardmona & District 1841-1936)
“The Mooroopna Hospital stands as a monument to the charity of the early pioneers, and it was built in 1876, the first institution of its kind in the Goulburn Valley.
Like most of our prosperous concerns it had a small beginning and grew according to the needs of the community.
The building was a small wooden hut which was erected on the banks of the Goulburn River between the present bridge and the old punt cutting at the back of the public hall.
The need was for a place to treat the accidents which occurred frequently under pioneering conditions, as the nearest resident doctor (Dr J. V. Heily) was at Rushworth, so a start was made in the wooden hut.
It seemed fitting that the first patient should be an Aboriginee [sic], a survivor of the summarily displaced original possessors of the Goulburn Valley, and his broken leg was probably set by Egbert Florance, the local chemist, who in emergencies did a lot of medical and surgical work, until the arrival of Dr Dowson in 1877, the first local medical practitioner.
There was no regular nurse for the first few years, and Mrs Eatwell went backward and forward from her home, and John Hardy, proprietor of the Coach and Horses Hotel, almost opposite the hut, attended to the occasional patients at night.
A Hospital Committee was formed to meet the needs of the growing community, and soon decided to erect a properly equipped building, and Mr Archer donated the land (portion of the present site in McLennan St) for the purpose.
Throughout the year various fundraisers were organised and the proceeds helped pay for the first building on the new site.
The committee was never content to rest on its laurels, and the history of the improvements shows that hardly had one building been finished than plans were made for further extensions.
This continuous progress is a tribute to the charitable feelings and generosity of the pioneers and their successors.
In August 1880 additions were made to the main building to the extent of 48 feet by 18 feet.
These comprised a board room 16 feet by 10 feet; a waiting room 14 feet, and an additional ward 16 feet by 18 feet.
A wash-house and a 16,000 gallon underground tank were also made then.”
