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From District to Base: Orange hospital history

By April 16, 2011August 6th, 2013No Comments

Orange District and Base hospitals will be the subject of Orange and District Historical Society’s next ‘Orange history alive’ meeting at the Senior Citizens Centre on Wednesday, April 20
Guest speakers will be Liz Edwards and Dr Jann Hunt.

The old Orange Base Hospital may have closed but many doctors, nurses and ancillary staff remember the times they spent there with vivid memories and not a little nostalgia.

Those with long memories will also recall the days of the Base’s precursor, the old ‘District’, which was demolished in 1959. The rich history of the hospital has touched many people, whether they worked there or were patients.Its evolution from a small 12-bed building in Anson Street to the 21st century marvel which was recently opened on the Bloomfield campus, is the result of vision, hard work and a great will to ensure the people of the Orange district received the best possible medical care.

Liz Edwards will talk about the early history of the hospital and some of the people who worked there, following the recent publication of her book ‘In sickness and in health: how medicine helped shape Orange’s history’. Copies of the book will be available for purchase on the night.

Dr Hunt will speak about her time working as the Base Hospital’s popular medical superintendent from 1979 to 1993. Images from the hospital’s history will be shown during the evening.

The meeting is open to everyone and people who worked there in any capacity are particularly welcome to attend The audience will be encouraged to ask questions and recall their own stories.

The meeting will take place at the Senior Citizens Centre, 77 Kite Street (entry from Woolworth’s car park) at 7 for 7.30pm. There is a small charge of $3 for members of Orange and District Historical Society and $5 for non-members, to cover costs. Light refreshments will be served.

If you have any inquiries or would like to attend the meeting, please RSVP to Phil Stevenson on 6362-3257, mobile 0402 412 188 or email ibiswines@bigpond.com