Tawonga District General Hospital 1949-1996 Alpine Health Bright MT beauty myrtleford An Historical Record The Tawonga District General Hospital Spanning over fifty years And the formation of Alpine Health in 1996 New hospital Written by Jane Newland Commissioned by Alpine Alpine Health Health Bright MT beauty myrtleford 1 Tawonga District General Hospital The original Tawonga District General Hospital transported from Bonegilla began operations in 1949. EARLY BEGINNINGS The history of the Tawonga District General Hospital dates back to the war years when in the mid 1940’s the local communities looked to the future to secure their health needs. The community recognised the increasing need for a medical facility to service the State Electricity Commission (SEC), its employees and their families. It was to be situated closer to the company work-site as the nearest main hospital was located in Yackandanda, 60 kms away. Hence negotiations to establish a hospital in the Tawonga and Mount Beauty district began in 1945, intensified two years later and became operational in1949. Previously a medical service set up by the SEC had been provided by the company through the services of a paid general practitioner, Dr Brewer, who worked alongside the very capable and multi skilled SEC first aiders (Frank Saunders, Frank Hetherington, John Arter and others). In 1947 a Medical Centre was built and located in the heart of the SEC headquarters, at that time in Mount Beauty and later in Lower Bogong (Village). The initial hospital was located at the corner of Ryder’s lane and the Kiewa Valley Highway opposite the Bogong Hotel. The building was an ex- army hospital ward originally located at the Bonegilla camp near Wodonga and in 1949 it was transported to Tawonga. The site was chosen by the State Government Department, the Hospital and Charities Commission because Tawonga was located outside the SEC contained work areas. The company controlled their work site areas by boom gates which were located at Tawonga South and above Mount Beauty. Former co-owners of the Bogong Hotel in Tawonga, Dorothy and Doug Hore, donated the land for the hospital with the proviso that if it ever moved the Alpine land would then be sold to charity or subdivided. It was later sold for private Health Bright MT beauty myrtleford purposes. 2 Tawonga District General Hospital In the early stages of the Kiewa Hydro-Electric Scheme the State Electricity Commission took over the financial and construction responsibility of the Tawonga District General Hospital building at a cost of 27,000 pounds. This included the removal and re-erection of the ex-military Bonegilla ward from Wodonga while in addition they carried out all the necessary building works that allowed the hospital to operate as a functional unit. The work was completed and handed over to the Hospital Committee of Management on September 1, 1949. It was stipulated that any extra money that was required was to be raised by public appeal and through sheer dedication and commitment, an additional 3,400 pounds was contributed by local residents. The balance was met by the SEC and the Hospital and Charities Commission. The initial project was to provide for a basic temporary hospital which was later to include an Operating Theatre, Offices, Store, Mortuary and a Nurse’s Home, until the establishment of a permanent medical premises. In 1961 this was realised when the hospital relocated to Mount Beauty in the former SEC administration offices located in the town centre. The State Electricity Commission supplied all the medical equipment needed at the hospital, employed staff and was responsible for wages. It is understood that the name Tawonga District General Hospital was agreed upon to help bridge a gap between the rural established families in the Upper Kiewa Valley and dwellers of the newly constructed town of Mount Beauty. In retrospect a diplomatic gesture designed to reduce the uncertainty that existed surrounding the formation and development of the township of Mount Beauty. The name remained for 47 years. The Hospitals and Charities Commission and the Committee of Management became responsible for the Tawonga District General Hospital which was opened by the then Minister for Health, the Honorable C.P. Gartside, MLC, on September 24, 1949. Guests of honour were Mr T.H. Mitchell (Construction Engineer) and Mr C.L. Mc Villey (Chairman of the Hospitals and Charities Commission). Left to right: Messrs. T.H. Mitchell, MLA. Manager of the hospital Mr R.H. Kronberg is obscured. Hon C.P. Gartside, C.L. McVilley, L.T. Knevitt, Matron A.I. Tanish and W. Sealey. Kiewa construction engineer Mr H.H.C. Williams speaking at the opening of the hospital. To his right: Health Minister Hon. C.P. Alpine Gartside performed the official ceremony. Health Bright MT beauty myrtleford 3 Tawonga District General Hospital The official ceremony was attended by a large number of residents and the Tawonga District General Hospital was opened for public inspection. It was noted in the local newspaper that in his opening speech the Minister for Health Mr Gartside said, “ It was a great achievement to have the building ready for occupation two years after the district had decided to have one built.” He also referred to the Tawonga District General Hospital as ‘unique’ in that there was a waiting list for staff. Mr Gartside said that the district should make the staff welcome and he stressed the need for the public to fully support any appeals made by the hospital in the future. FIRST HOSPITAL OF GREAT SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY Former Chief Executive Officer Mr Royce Kronberg (1949-1953) recalled that from it’s inception the Tawonga District General Hospital was a very busy medical, surgical, obstetric and trauma centre for the community. In the first annual report the Committee of Management President Mr L. Knevitt spoke of his personal satisfaction that the initial period of operation of the Hospital had been of great service to the community. It was recorded that following the opening, 455 patients were admitted to the Tawonga District General Hospital and 254 operations were performed in the first year. This was a clear indication that given the temporary nature of the hospital, it was already a significant asset that instilled widespread confidence and a Alpine growing assurance that the local community’s health care needs would be Health secured in the future. Bright MT beauty myrtleford 4 Tawonga District General Hospital The main ward catered for men only in the early years of operations at the Tawonga District General Hospital. PROVIDING A VITAL SERVICE Initially there were no private rooms and the ward accommodation was open style. It was acknowledged that for this reason the hospital catered only for men in the first couple of years, until partitions were built. More beds were established for women by enclosing the verandahs on three sides, thus extending the number of beds from ten to thirty five. Eventually a Maternity wing, an Operating Theatre and a Nurse’s home were introduced. The majority of patients were SEC employees or their dependents and their expenses were met by the company’s local medical and hospital benefits scheme. The patients were generally in the younger age groups and there was a significant proportion of accident victims so much so that the Workers Compensation insurer was eventually persuaded to pay the hospital a monthly draw against accounts rendered and pending resolution of liability. Tawonga District General Hospital’s first Manager, Mr R.H.Kronborg, in 1996 described the hospital as primitive by today’s standards but said that it met the demands placed upon it in a very capable manner. He further illustrated the nature of his own multi-skilled job. “I was the only administrative staff member so I also did everything of a clerical nature including my own typing, ran the store from ordering to distribution, was Registrar of Births and Deaths, measured bodies so that the undertaker could bring the right sized coffin and so on.” Mr Kronborg remembered with affection the tremendous sense of adventure Alpine and camaraderie amongst all staff. Health Bright MT beauty myrtleford 5 Tawonga District General Hospital “There was never a threat of industrial action of any kind and staff morale was high, perhaps this was because we were a little self contained community out on a limb of our own: we were not part of the SEC and we were not part of the old established families of the Valley but we were providing both groups with a much needed and vital service.” “I was 23 at the time with only 2 years experience in hospitals so it was a somewhat daunting task to start from scratch and establish a hospital in what was then a fairly isolated area. It was fortunate that the first Matron (Tanish) and the first doctor (Edwards) had much more experience and, of course, the SEC and the Hospital and Charities Board were a great help.” Mr Kronborg in describing the situation in 1949 indicated that the primary player was the SEC which were constructing the Kiewa Hydro electric scheme - the largest engineering project ever undertaken in Victoria. The whole of the SEC area was off limits to the public with control gates at Tawonga South and just above Mount Beauty. None of the main roads to Mount Beauty or within the works area were sealed and the Bright Gap Road was a narrow nightmare. Petrol rationing was still in force. He further added that by 1951 the SEC work force had grown to 5000 and this was supplemented by wives and children living in Bogong, Mount Beauty and Tawonga South.