Old Canberran's Old Photos - Part 2 - Royal Canberra Hospital

Ok finally managed to get the fax at work to get some images in digital form, but the quality it scans at is pretty poor and it came out far too dark, never the less as promised some scanned images

http://users.on.net/~bluton/

I’m seriously considering trying to find the originals, i’m pretty sure they are in my late grandfathers house in all his paper work.

That is a very sad story, Overheard. I guess for better of worse it was a part of our personal history.

The other hospitals have been a part of my history too. I don’t know why Royal Canberra was special to me. It was the atmosphere, the culture, mostly things you can’t photograph except in your mind.

The words ‘history’ and ‘nostalgia’ have been mentioned above. For me, it’s something in the middle which I’ll call ‘association’. Ergo, I just spent an inordinate amount of time at the hospital (RCH) and precincts. It struck me today that one of my earliest memories of the place was aged five, going to see my newly-born baby brother in the maternity ward which I guess was where the NMA admin building is. And then the last time I was there before it became the NMA was in 1998 when I saw that same brother for the last time at Clare Holland House. I concur with above statements about how good it was to be able to open doors and stroll about the grounds.

I had three stays at RCH in 1973, 1977 and 1984 and then spent lots of time afterwards with a couple of sick family members. Yeah, maybe it was ugly but having spent so much time in its company, I was almost sad to see it go.

It was pretty ordinary before the lake became a reality. Across the road were the weatherboard Acton offices of the Dept of the Interior including the motor registry and on the other side was the Acton Guest House. In between was a view of Commonwealth Bridge across old Gerry Kilmartin’s lucerne paddocks and the Molonglo River. The lake changed the whole atmosphere of the place.

Yes, and I think the nice surrounds is important. Not just to be outside, but to be out somewhere nice.

Granny said :

Well, the architects obviously put a bit of thought into that design.

It’s interesting that those balconies were for the purpose of ‘… healing through light, access to fresh air and sunlight …’ because that was for me what made Royal Canberra so different as a hospital – the ability to breathe in the magnificent view from the balcony while other patients sat out in their wheelchairs by the lake and soaked up the beauty.

I think that was healing.

Except for those people who take open balconies on tall buildings as an invitation to jump. TCH’s windows are occasionally smashed because of a dearth of such balconies.

One of the very appealing aspects of Clare Holland House (both in its old location and present day) was the ability for patients to get outside. A shame we can’t reproduce it on a larger scale, for sure.

Well, the architects obviously put a bit of thought into that design.

It’s interesting that those balconies were for the purpose of ‘… healing through light, access to fresh air and sunlight …’ because that was for me what made Royal Canberra so different as a hospital – the ability to breathe in the magnificent view from the balcony while other patients sat out in their wheelchairs by the lake and soaked up the beauty.

I think that was healing.

The Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Camperdown isn’t bad looking at all.

I’m sure they could be designed for both if there was a bottomless budget, like if you were in an Arab oil producing country or something.

I’d rather be in an effective hospital than a pretty one.

They have some pretty unusual design demands placed on them, not least is endless expansion if they’re in an area with population growth.

Calvary is also pretty butt-ugly.

When the CCH was built in the early 40’s it was extremely accessible via Lennox Crossing road from Commonwealth Avenue, a mere couple of minutes. They obviously had no regard for the impact of the lake which was at least 20 years in the future. No one even dreamed it would happen as development in the 40’s was just loping along at a very slow pace.

Incidentally, hospitals everywhere seem to be butt ugly buildings especially public ones. Woden is not an architectural masterpiece by any means. I have yet to see a good looking public hospital.

I have a friend who does some security at the site of the hospital (now the Museum) he has heard a lot of stories of ghosts on the premises.. anyone have any stories of sightings?

Woody Mann-Caruso said :

For reasons best known to the politicians, this whole hospital complex was demolished to make room for a museum at the cost of a young girl’s life.

Oh, get over yourself. You whine as though a bunch of people sat around a table and made sure “Young Girl’s Life” was added as a budget line item. JB has hit it on the head – it was a butt-ugly, poorly-sited building only a few decades old. Good riddance to it, and shame on you for hitching a tragedy to your needlessly nostalgic agenda.

WMC – the implosion fiasco is studied as part of Project Management at various Universities as an example of ‘how not to run a project’. If you study it in any depth it’s surprising that only one person was killed or hurt.

OT – I am ambivilant about the look of the old hospital but it did hold some deep memories for me. It was where I spent several days and nights as my older 17 year old brother was kept on life support prior to dying. History and nostalgia are subjective. The Hospital was part of my family’s history but I am not nostalgic for the role it played in my life. I can, however, appreciate the nostalgia others have of working there, having babies there etc. Obviously the architecture itself was dated when the hospital came down but it remains to be seen if the musuem will still be seen as cutting edge architecture in 60 years time.

In terms of access and coverage, massively.

Woody Mann-Caruso said :

For reasons best known to the politicians, this whole hospital complex was demolished to make room for a museum at the cost of a young girl’s life.

Oh, get over yourself. You whine as though a bunch of people sat around a table and made sure “Young Girl’s Life” was added as a budget line item. JB has hit it on the head – it was a butt-ugly, poorly-sited building only a few decades old. Good riddance to it, and shame on you for hitching a tragedy to your needlessly nostalgic agenda.

and the replacement is better??

For reasons best known to the politicians, this whole hospital complex was demolished to make room for a museum at the cost of a young girl’s life.

Oh, get over yourself. You whine as though a bunch of people sat around a table and made sure “Young Girl’s Life” was added as a budget line item. JB has hit it on the head – it was a butt-ugly, poorly-sited building only a few decades old. Good riddance to it, and shame on you for hitching a tragedy to your needlessly nostalgic agenda.

any building that has to be demolished shouldn’t have had spectators. regardless of the demolition crew, the hospital was built to be able to withstand serious damage, whatever form that it was in. replacing it with a structure that blocked out the breezes, is ugly as sin is not my first choice. I would have preferred if the NMA was more aesthetically pleasing to the location, not look as it was dropped there.

I think there is a bit of confusion here. The only building I know of,apart from the new Parliament House, that was built with atomic bomb protection in mind was the Administration Building across the road from the Gallery. It has 2 basements designed for that purpose. I used to ride past it on my way to school and watched it being built. The original foundations built by a local builder had to be removed as the concrete was below specs due to a fiddle by the builder.
I have a book on the history of Royal Canberra Hospital and there is no mention in it of bomb protection. It was, however, commandeered in 1942 by the Military before completion.
If anyone is interested in this book it’s titled Royal Canberra Hospital, the first 40 years, By Arthur Ide. National Library Cat No 0 646 18890 9 but I suspect it may be out of print.

johnboy said :

It was an ugly building in a great location

And they replaced it with … an even uglier building in a great location.

The idea that weapons could be made using the nuclear chain reaction was around that early (it’s what kicked off the Manhattan Project, after all), but no-one knew how powerful they would be or even if it was possible in practice. So the idea of building anything “nuclear bomb proof” at that time is pretty far-fetched.

Interestingly enough, and on a vaguely related note, the Royal Canberra Hospital building was an American military hospital for the first five months it was around (according to wikipedia, anyway!).

I believe the big tower was a cold war construction, hence it’s “within LOS of a nuclear blast” construction with loads of steel.

The thing basically stayed in one piece through the implosion. Albeit with large hunks escaping to murderous effect.

Oh, that’s who Fermi was!

We’re actually very fortunate to live in a country where it’s not really an issue.

Don’t forget that every extra dollar you spend on making a hospital bombproof is one less dollar somewhere else in the health budget. I’m guessing that the expected number of lives saved in the long run is higher if the dollars go elsewhere.

Rest assured that there’s a multilayered air defence system in place to ensure that bombers don’t get that far.

I wonder if they build hospitals to withstand bombing attacks these days. It’s really not such a bad idea.

Thumper: Considering that the hospital was constructed between 1940 and 1943, during which time the Manhattan Project was just getting underway and was only known to a relatively small number of people, that seems unlikely. (The Trinity test did not take place until July of 1945).

On the contrary, it did very well. A planned implosion did not work. The design and construction was obviously very sound.

I think that was more to do with the flawed destruction work than the structural integrity of the building.

A planned implosion did not work.

Well, where is it then?

; )

Well, it didn’t do very well then if it couldn’t withstand a plain old implosion!

Oops, referring to your earlier post.

Thank you Old Canberran.

Qbn Gal said :

From a therapeutic point of view it was fabulously conducive to rest and recovery by the sheer nature of the beauty of the place.

Qbn Gal, I agree. I remember as a patient in the paediatric ward in the 60’s going for organised walks in the grounds.

Granny, I’m with you.

Perhaps you are right. It’s gone now so it really doesn’t matter.

It was less then 50 years old when they blew it up!

It was an ugly building in a great location and the location is still there for your enjoyment.

I don’t know, JB.

I could be nostalgic about Calvary hospital because I’ve had two children there. I could be nostalgic about the new Canberra hospital because I’ve had a baby and two grandchildren born there. I could be, and am, nostalgic about my shower at home because one of my children was born in it.

But there was just a sense of history about the old building. So many people from so many generations checking in and out of life. It was kind of special. I guess you either feel that way about older buildings or you don’t.

But I think that the staff felt it. Like you’re part of something bigger than yourself. A cell in the body of humankind. You might die but the organism lives on. It’s kind of comforting, like there’s a oneness with the people who have gone before and will come after.

It’s just the vibe really.

What sense of history???

Nostalgia does not equal history.

I have to agree with Qbn Gal regarding the location. The atmosphere of tranquility and the sense of history made all the difference to the mood and culture of the place. There will never be another Canberra hospital like it.

Sorry, I forgot to thank Old Canberran. Who had the foresight to take these photographs for us to enjoy. I hope there are more Canberrans tooday carrying on this important tradition. What with all the fast pased changes going on now.

And I loved the fact that you could open the windows in the wards and get fresh cool air blew over the lake in the evening after a very hot summer’s day. (cant do that now)

Old Canberran, thanks for the photos.

As an old trainee of the Royal Canberra Hospital I must disagree with Johnboy about the site. From a therapeutic point of view it was fabulously conducive to rest and recovery by the sheer nature of the beauty of the place. I vividly remember Saturday and Sunday afternoons when we would take our patients down by the lake for some relaxation, in their bed if need be. Did wonders for the blood pressure ( ours too). It did so much to help their healing along.

Both Queanbeyan venues are just as popular to-day. Sometimes, both on the same night.

There was another hospital (private) which is not well known. It was built in the mid 30’s by a Sister Petrie in Empire Circuit and was known as the Allawah Private Hospital. It was fairly small. It is now the Sri Lankan Embassy or Chancery.

I suspect you are correct JB about the location of the CCH as far as ready access was concerned and I think that was given as one of the reasons it was demolished.

Prior to the original hospital in Balmain Circuit being built the only hospital facilities for the locals was the Queanbeyan Hospital. It and Walsh’s pub were quite popular in those days.

the old hospital was designed to withstand a bombing attack during WWII. It should never have been demolished. the resources of calvary will be tested when all the new suburbs reach capacity…

BerraBoy68 said :

@JB – “For reasons best known to the politicians, this whole hospital complex was demolished to make room for a museum at the cost of a young girl’s life”.

So very well said JB!

Old Canberran’s words not mine.

If you ask me the old hospital was not in a great location and the current TCH Calvary split makes it much easier for people to access the hospitals.

But to each their own.

@JB – “For reasons best known to the politicians, this whole hospital complex was demolished to make room for a museum at the cost of a young girl’s life”.

So very well said JB!

I didn’t know the history of the two golf courses mentioned, either. Top work KBB, thanks again!

It’s so nice to see the old hospital again. I will always love that old place. I never knew it used to be called Canberra Community Hospital, though, which doesn’t sound nearly as grand but does sound kind of accessible and friendly.