In late 2013, following calls from some members of the community for the old Gulgong Hospital to be retained for community use instead of being demolished, the Western NSW Local Health District asked the town to come up with alternative uses for the building and how it would be funded.
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In December, through an editorial, the Mudgee Guardian invited Gulgong residents to put forward their suggestions for uses for the building, even throwing in a few of our own to get them started. he response was zero.
The Save the Old Gulgong Hospital Committee has suggested the hospital could be used for a hydrotherapy pool, a gym business, or art gallery, but has not provided any suggestions as to who should pay to bring the disused building up to the standard required to accommodate these actitivites, or who should pay to maintain the building.
There have been some suggestion that Mid-Western Regional Council should buy it: Council has wisely steered clear of taking on the burden of a building that could cost an estimated $2 million to restore to a usable condition.
Others have suggested that it be “mothballed” until it is needed. But in the meantime the building will continue to deteriorate unless maintained.
Given the current strain on the health budget, should the NSW Health Service be spending money maintaining or restoring a disused building on the off-chance that it might be useful for an as- yet unknown purpose at some distant point in time?
Many will be sad to see the Gulgong Hospital go, but in this case, nostalgia for things of the past should not take precedent over economic reality and the needs of the modern community.
Gulgong’s energy would be better spent supporting and working to improve the services and businesses they have today, rather than fretting over a building which has outlasted its usefulness.
