The Prince Henry Hospital Trained Nurses Association Inc. 

The Hospital at Little Bay, on the ocean side of the La Perouse peninsula, was commissioned on the 6 th December, 1881. It was set up on the 6 th  August, 1881, as a sanitation camp to house healthy contacts of Smallpox patients who were nursed at the Quarantine Station on North Head. 

 

 Mrs Mary Meyler was appointed the first Matron on the 4th December, 1881.

This hospital was set up, funded and operated by the NSW Government, and has the distinction of being the first public hospital in NSW and probably Australia. All other hospitals were set and operated by charities and heavily subsidized by the NSW Government. 

 In 1894, Matron Jean McMaster established the Coast Hospital Training School for Nurses. It was a three year training course at that time and then in 1908, it became a four year training course.

The Coast Hospital had its name changed in 1934 to the Prince Henry Hospital to honour the visit of Prince Henry, third son of King George, who became the Duke of Gloucester and later, the Governor of Australia throughout World War 11 but never visited the hospital.

In 1937, Miss Ethel McNevin set up the second Preliminary Training School in Australia where nurses spent two months learning the rudiments of Medicine and Nursing before going into the wards.

Doctors and Nurses became skilled in diagnosing rashes, eg: Scarlet Fever, Morbilli (German measles), Rubella and others. It was at Prince Henry Hospital that Dr N. Gregg (later Sir Norman) made the connection between rubella in pregnancy and in blind babies. It is now standard practice that girls are vaccinated against rubella. Diphtheria and poliomyelitis were also nursed here and the Museum has some iron lungs amongst its exhibits.

The Nursing and Medical Museum showcases the hospital through the eras of change. There are displays of surgical instruments, many still in use today. There is a large collection of photographs and a comprehension range of uniforms, nurses, doctors, domestic, catering etc. The library has many books used by nurses and doctors, some dating back to the early 1900's.

The Nursing and Medical Museum is in Ward 1 (formally Ward 18) and is open on Sundays and Mondays from 1-5pm. Group tours of the Museum, Nurses War Memorial Chapel and the precinct of the hospital can be made by appointment. Come and visit, enjoy the history that has been conserved and preserved.

For further information, visit our website: www.nursingandmedicalmuseum.com.au

 email: phhtna@bigpond.com.au or phone : Lyn on 9387 4412.

Admission fees: Adults: $5.00 per person, All school aged Children: $2.00 each.

Revised: October, 2010.