When plans were being drawn up for the new facility, the Mudgee Health Council resolved that the memorial lamp that stood in the old Community Health grounds should be saved.

The lamp had been placed at the site - on the Church Street side - to commemorate the late Richard Headley, who was a member of the then board of directors for the hospital for 30 years. It now stands, lovingly restored, in the new Hospital's central courtyard.

John Bentley, chair of the Health Council, said that they were gladdened by the response they had from the community when they wanted to restore the piece. And it wasn't a small job either, the lamp is tall and heavy and was well-weathered and the top was completely missing.

"We can thank Dave Cuthbertson from Mudgee Powder Coat and Aluminium Works, who unhesitatingly offered to donate the cost of the sandblasting and powdercoating the entire job," he said.

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"The top had been damaged long ago and Geoff Charlesworth from the Mudgee Men's Shed created a new one from scratch. This has been a satisfying community effort to save a valued part of our hospital's history."

He added that incorporating the history of Mudgee's hospitals into the new facility was an important task that the Council undertook when their input was sought.

In addition to the lamp, historical photos can be found throughout the building, including of former staff.

With one wall - in the waiting room for the new Community Health - documenting both of the hospital's predecessors at the Church/Meares/Nicholson streets site, not only the last facility but also the first substantial Mudgee Hospital used from 1874 to 1955.

"There was a committee that the Health Council was represented on, which met for the last 12 months to decide how we were going to do all of this," he said.

"The lamp was part of it and we amassed a lot of old photographs - we'd talked to nurses who'd retired after working here in the past. And we'd gathered about 30 photos, from which a number have been incorporated into the new hospital."