Newcastle: Celebrating Calvary’s past

As part of the hospital’s 2022 centenary celebrations, Calvary Mater Newcastle’s Heritage Committee and members of the hospital’s executive, celebrated the completion of its Heritage Corridor Display.

Over a period of years, the committee has been methodically and meticulously sorting through past photos of the Mater, cataloguing them to ensure memories are preserved for future generations.
The hospital’s centenary has been the main focus and a carefully curated photograph display can now be found on the level two corridor, either side of the Day Treatment Centre’s main entrance.

The photographs were selected to recall memories of the Newcastle Mater Misericordiae Hospital and include significant milestones that may otherwise fade into obscurity. Featured historical events for both the city and the Mater include the Newcastle earthquake and the fight for radiotherapy and oncology services at the Mater.

The display looks back to a time when nurse training, paediatric care, midwifery and obstetrics were all located on site at the Mater.

It provides a detailed and rich history on how the palliative care service evolved while also referencing the Women’s Auxiliary and allied health and support services.

Mark Jeffrey, General Manager, comments, “My thanks go to the Heritage Committee, with a special mention to Dr Pam Harrison OAM who spearheaded the project, and for everyone who contributed along the way.

“The end result is such a wonderful testament to the team that can be enjoyed by the members of our community for many years to come.”