Goulburn Health Service Heritage Survey

Have your say! Survey launched to help bring heritage to life at Goulburn Hospital

Heritage survey delivers rich insights for Goulburn Hospital Redevelopment

The history and heritage of the Goulburn Health Service is an essential element of the Government’s $150 million Goulburn Hospital and Health Service Redevelopment.

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Pictured: Hypodermic Needle Sharpener: When hypodermic needles were first invented in the 1850s, they were not disposable as they are today. Instead, hypodermic needles were reusable tools that were washed and sanitized between uses. As a result the needles would require maintenance, such as sharpening.

During August 2020, Goulburn Health Service staff and community members were invited to complete an online survey to share feedback about their memories of the health service.

With responses received from across the district, three key themes and areas of interest emerged from the survey:
1. Then and now, contrasting images of the past and future at our hospital.
2. Goulburn Base Hospital through the decades.
3. Rural Hospital – servicing the Southern Tablelands.

The survey has revived many rich memories of Goulburn, and the Goulburn Base Hospital, including the dedicated staff, the care for loved family members, the two rocking horses, inter-departmental softball, concerts and reviews, and the Baptist choir singing on Sunday afternoons.

The community would like to see the uniforms, devices and equipment used throughout the decades, photographs of the buildings and facilities that make up the Goulburn Health Service, recognition of staff, and newspaper articles which told the stories of what was happening in Goulburn and the surrounding region over time.

The results will help shape the way heritage items are displayed in the new four-storey Clinical Services Building.

The heritage program is being delivered as part of the Arts in Health program which is designed to guide the integration of arts into the NSW healthcare system.

As part of the Goulburn Hospital Redevelopment the program aims to reflect the local community, instill strong cultural connections and a sense of ownership in the new facility.

As part of the Arts in Health program the Redevelopment is also conducted a community photography competition. The winning photographic images will be incorporated into the new health facility. The competition has now closed with many excellent entries received from across the community.


Have your say! Survey launched to help bring heritage to life at Goulburn Hospital

Goulburn Health Service Staff and community members were invited to complete an online survey to share feedback about their memories of the Goulburn Health Service and what they would like to see included in the new hospital’s heritage exhibition and time capsule.

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The heritage of the Goulburn health service is an essential element of the Goulburn Hospital and Health Service Redevelopment.

The project has catalogued over 2000 items from Goulburn Base Hospital and Bourke Street Health Service, which along with the stories of the people who used them, will provide a vital record and connection to healthcare over the years in Goulburn. 
 
The project is looking at ways to display these items throughout the new four-storey Clinical Services Building.

The online survey ran from  06 August to 28 August 2020 and has now closed.

The project team looks forward to sharing some of the information gathered and insights shared from across the Goulburn community.

Here are some examples of the over 2000 items catelogued from Goulburn Base Hospital and Bourke Street Health Service.

Portable Anesthetic Machine (pictured above)

This Commonwealth Industrial Gases anesthetic machine is an example of game-changing medical innovation utilised in Goulburn’s health history. Before the use of anesthetics, surgery was a traumatic experience for everyone involved. The advent of anesthesia brought comfort to many, and was instrumental in modernising surgery to what we know today. This machine is evidence of the commitment of Goulburn’s local health services to providing modern medical care to the surrounding areas

Sister Zella Fife collection

Training is vital for keeping Goulburn’s nurses at the forefront of medical practice
Nurse’s Service Record in Industry of Nursing in N.S.W (Zella Fife)
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This Nurse’s Service record exemplifies that as a physical record observing one nurse’s training and skills. This record was used between 1948 and 1952 by Sister Zella Fife.
Zella Fife Memorial Theatre

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Sister Zella Fife passed away at 32 years old in 1954. Zella Fife is now remembered at the hospital at the ‘Zella Fife Memorial Lecture Theatre, where new nursing students begin their own journey with the Goulburn Health Services.
Tea Service – Zella Fife Memorial Theatre

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Citations:
Portable Anesthetic Machine
Hypodermic needle sharpener
Sister Zella Fife Collection