News and Events

Celebrating Q150 and the New Country Hospital Museum Building.

In order to provide Association members with the opportunity to view progress with the development of the newly refurbished building and to simultaneously celebrate Queensland's 150th birthday, the Management Committee invited members to a function on Saturday 27 June. President Yvonne Kelley took the opportunity to update members on the progress being made and the tasks outstanding.

This is a small selection of the photographs taken on the day. The first shows Yvonne Kelley (centre) with Committee member Dr John Learmonth (right) and Mr Alistair Sleeman of Carpet and Tile Court, the company which undertook the task of laying the new vinyl floor coverings throughout the building and which has donated large mats for the entrances.

In the photograph below, we see Jackie Geraghty (left) with committee members Bill and Carol McIver enjoying morning tea. Carol has agreed to take responsibility for the set up of the four bed ward which will be part of our final display. Bill has been doing a lot of shifting and carrying. He and Gus Antonello have donated the use of their trailers and themselves to move objects across the Village and from the igloos at Parkhurst.

In the third photograph on the right, committee member Del Leitgeb (left) and Kay Smith (Treasurer) were also on hand to see the progress.

Del also discussed the refurbishment with Association Member Rita George. The photograph in the background is Dr Ernst Silberstern. He was a qualified doctor in Austria. However, he was captured by the Nazis in 1939 and sentenced to death. He escaped and came to Australia where he re-qualified as a doctor. He came to Rockhampton in 1948 and became medical officer in charge of Westwood.

One of our key supporters throughout the project has been the member for Rockhampton and Minister for Works, Robert Schwarten. Robert played a pivotal role in gaining the first $150,000 from the Premier�s Department which enabled the Association to bring the building from Mt Morgan and reassemble it at the Village. He has since been responsible for obtaining $60,000 in Q150 funding which enabled QBuild to undertake the internal refurbishment. Robert visited to see first hand the magnificent work which had been completed by QBuild staff. Here Robert enjoys morning tea with President Yvonne Kelley, committee member Jocelyn Philp and Vice-President Norma West.

A room in the building has been reserved for a display of pharmacy history and memorabilia. Retired pharmacist Barry Bryant (right) has been responsible for collecting and caring for the potential exhibits and other pharmacists are now coming on board to assist with the creation of display via financial or volunteer support. One of these is Duncan Stewart seen here chatting with Yvonne and Barry.

In addition to participants already named, the next photograph includes committee member Lorraine Antonello (second from left) who is playing a major role with Debbie Richards in cataloguing our collection in the software program Mosaic as well as scanning many of our photographs, and Rev Dr Rob Philp who is also a professional historian.

In the photograph below left, committee member Dr Tom Dewar welcomes Mrs Norma Gold, wife of distinguished and long-serving specialist dermatologist Dr Mervyn Gold who has sadly passed away since this function was held. On the right, Professor Errol Payne, former Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Health and Sciences at CQU is seen in discussion with Professor Amy Zelmer, the first Dean of Health Science at CQU and Dr Lynn Zelmer who is a railway historian and museum developer/supporter.

Last, but by no means least, Vice-President Norma West completed the formalities by cutting the Q150 cake.

Norma West with the Q150 cake at a function to showcase the new Country Hospital Museum Building