Wingham and District War Memorial Hospital

About

The memorial is a community hospital established in the 1960s, in honour of those who served in the Second World War. The hospital complex is comprised of single-storey brick buildings, surrounded by gardens. It is now identified as the Wingham Community Hospital, and includes a health assessment and rehabilitation centre, which was established in the 1980s.  The hospital was designed by the NSW Government Architect, under E.H. Farmer. It was opened by The Hon. A.H. Jago, Minister for Health, on 15 August 1969. Access inside the hospital is restricted by its opening and visiting hours.  History By the mid 1940s, a movement to establish a war memorial hospital was underway, including planning committees and fundraising efforts (The Wingham Chronicle and Manning River Observer, 14 July 1944). In late March 1947, the Minister for Health promised to "provide a general hospital for Wingham with provision for 30 beds", if the community raised £10,000 (Northern Champion, 2 April 1947). No action was taken at this time to further construction.  In early April 1950, Mr C.F. Beesley, President of the hospital's Board of Directors, received a letter from Mr L.C. Jordan, M.L.A. It was revealed a sketch plan for the hospital and nurses' quarters had been prepared, but there was no money in the estimates (The Wingham Chronicle and Manning River Observer, 6 April 1950). The Wingham Chronicle, 19 September 1950, published another letter from Mr Jordan to Mr Beesley, which provided an update of the project. He wrote: Wingham Hospital, in my opinion, now has reached the point of definite construction, but working drawings and specifications will probably consume the balance of this year, with the work (I am only assuming) to commence in about Fix this texttwelve months' time. In April 1954, the Minster for Health promised the Wingham Hospital Board £100,000 would be made available in the 1954–55 estimates, with a similar amount to be made available in the following year (Northern Champion, 23 April 1954). By October, the board, which had now been established for 10 years, had a credit balance of £12,136. That December, there was doubt about the Hospital Commission's promise that work would commence. Despite many years of lobbying, the hospital was not opened until 1969. The facility has been developed over time and the foundation stone of stage 1 of the Manning Valley and Area Health Service Assessment and Rehabilitation Centre was set by Dr D.C. Harris on 17 October 1984.