A number of plaques that were made to commemorate moments in the history of the old Mudgee District Hospital - and earlier - have been re-homed in the new building.
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After thinking over different locations to install the items, it was decided to put them in the Hospital's small courtyard. Which can be viewed from above, on all four sides, from the glass walls of the building's surrounding walkways - the area is also lit at night.
Outgoing chair of the Mudgee Health Council, John Bentley, said, "it was a concerted effort to bring them together". And added, "some were in place at the old Hospital, some were in storage, but we knew we had to keep these plaques and it was something we were planning for a long time during construction".
One marks the official opening of the former Mudgee District Hospital on October 8, 1955, with the honours done by the then state Minister for Health Maurice O'Sullivan MLA. On that day over 1,000 people turned out to take a look at the new, state-of-the-art facility.
Another commemorates the official opening of the Lynda Doughan School of Nursing in 1972. The former building - which was located in Lewis Street - and the plaque represent an era when nurses were trained at the local hospital, today the most common form of entry to the profession is via completion of a Bachelor of Nursing course at university.
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Of historical significance for the wider local community, is a plaque acknowledging a stone laid on February 18, 1950, by the Hon. William Fraser Dunn MLA, one of the last members for Mudgee - a NSW electoral district, which abolished in 1968. Among those to serve in the seat was Sir John Robertson, namesake of Robertson Park, who was also Premier during his time as the local member.
The plaques aren't the first historical items from the old Hospital to find their way into the new facility either. Earlier this year, the memorial lamp that stood in the old Community Health grounds near Church Street was restored and incorporated into the new Hospital's central courtyard.
A number of photographs can also be found throughout the building's halls. More pictures of the old Hospital were also collated into a series of books, which can be viewed at the Mudgee Museum, the Council building, and Mudgee Library.
The grounds of the new Hospital will also receive three new pieces of art, which will be installed soon. This followed the addition of three new acquisition prizes to the Sculptures in the Garden event in 2020.
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