Wide Bay Hospitals Museum Soc. Inc.

31/05/2026

We recently had a wonderful time with Maryborough State High School students.

11/05/2026

Today 12th May Is International Nurses Day and always celebrated on the birth date of Florence Nightingale.
Members of the Wide Bay Hospitals Museum Soc. Inc. trust that all nurses both past and present have a wonderful day. We appreciate what you do and thank you.
Photo is Maryborough Hospital nurses who graduated in 1966. Included is Dr Perina (Medical Super.), Matron Finlay as well as the Tutor Sister and the Operating Theate Sister.

04/05/2026

Today, the 5th May, is the International Day of the Midwife. The Wide Bay Hospitals Museum Soc. Inc acknowledges all midwives both past and present. A big thank you to each and every one of you.
Photo: Nursing staff with babies of the Lady Musgrave Hospital, North St, Maryborough, c1930. From album of Nurse Eileen O'Hara held by the WBHM.

24/04/2026

This ANZAC Day, the Wide Bay Hospitals Museum Soc. Inc. acknowledges the military service of all staff, both past and present, of Maryborough's Hospitals.

Today, we particularly wish to honour WW2 Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Nurse Edna May Armstrong. Edna was born near Gayndah in1912. Edna attended the Maryborough Girls Grammar School for a time and later undertook general nurse training at the Maryborough Hospital from 1933 to 1937, where she stayed on staff as Sister until early 1938. Edna then went on to undertake her Midwifery certificate at Brisbane's Royal Women’s Hospital after leaving Maryborough.

In January 1942, Edna enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force Nursing Service (RAAFNS) and was posted to quite a number of RAAF hospitals and various medical posts throughout Australia including Richmond, with a short posting at Concord Military Hospital, Laverton, Sale, Amberly, Southport, and Sandgate plus a short stint at Greenslopes Military Hospital. Her longest posting was in WA – a year in fact at Kalgoorlie – a recollection by her indicated that it was a 32-bed hospital, and the patients were mainly the wounded from New Guinea and on one occasion a Japanese POW. She slept at the hospital, had meals in the Officer's Mess which was on the opposite side of the base to the hospital, and driven back to the hospital each evening. This quote may be one that many who have done time in the military may relate to: 'I used to think that everyone had forgotten that we existed' – it obviously was a long 12 months.
Edna’s service with the RAAFNS ended in June 1946.

Lest we forget

(Photo:Edna Armstrong,1942. Source: NAA)

07/04/2026

In the Maryborough Hospital grounds toward the eastern side facing Walker St is a two-storey building that was once the hospital's Medical Superintendent's residence. It was built in 1936-37 to meet a need for an additional doctor's residence as at the time the only doctor's residence in use was the 1928 built house occupied by the then Medical Superintendent (now used as the WB Hospitals Museum).

The house was designed by Maryborough architect, who was also the hospital's architect at the time, P.O.E Hawkes. Hawkes was instructed by the Hospital's Board to draw up plans and specifications for a two storey building as shown in the Australian Home Beautiful Journal, December 1st 1934. This edition of the Australian Home Beautiful Journal contained some the prize winning entries from a recent architectural competition run by the magazine and certainly provided the inspiration for the final building plan.

By late September 1937 the new doctor's residence had been built. Described at the time as an imposing structure and a decided acquisition to the hospital grounds. Of two storeys, it was built on the modern lines of the time, the living quarters on the ground floor, with sleeping accommodation on the upper storey. Entrance was gained to the bottom storey by way of a porch. From the stair hall, entrance was made to the lounge, which opened on to a verandah at the back, and also into the dining room. Other rooms on the ground floor were a maid's room, kitchen and pantry, and toilet. On the top floor was three bed rooms, dressing room, bathroom, toilet and servery, and a solarium at the front of the building to provide ample space for 'enjoyment of the night air in the summer time'. The outer walls were finished in traventene style, and white plaster boards on the inner walls and ceiling, Luskan tiles were used for the roof. The builder was Constructions Pty Ltd, Brisbane, the cost approximately £2,500 (around $304,000 today).

Over time some modifications occurred including closing in the verandahs at the back of the upper and ground floors and adding a garage on the right side. In the 1990s when no longer used as the medical superintendent's residence, the inside was modified to accommodate several single medical officers.

Photo from the 1940s shows a view of the house half side-on from Walker St, the house to the right in the background is the 1928 built doctor's residence now the WB Hospitals Museum. Source: WB Hospitals Museum Soc. Inc.

17/02/2026

170 years ago, on this day, the 18th February 1856, a meeting was held in Maryborough to discuss the possibility of commencing a hospital in the town. This eventually led to a succession of small rented cottages as a hospital, then a newly built hospital in Lennox St in 1864, this was the first purpose built hospital north of Brisbane, later in 1887 a new hospital was built in Walker St. This site is still operational today.
Attached is a copy of the minutes from that meeting that were published in the Empire newspaper, 10th March 1856, p.4. The WBHM is fortunate to have the original of the minutes of that meeting from 170 years ago in our collection.
A visit to the museum can provide you with more of our hospital's history, we love to see visitors and to share this history.

11/01/2026

We will be opening the museum this Thursday 15th January at 9 a.m. to 12 noon after the Christmas and New Year holiday period .
Pop along and learn about our local public hospital's history and check out the 'old' medical equipment at the same time.
We love sharing history and look forward to seeing you.

Send a message to learn more

19/12/2025

Maryborough Hospital Christmas menu from 1940. This is one of several menus in the Museum's collection dating from 1928 to 1952.
The Museum will be closed from 18th December reopening on the 15th January 2026.
More than happy to open for visitors during this time - contact Marilyn 0416213479 or Colleen 41223093 to arrange a suitable date and time.
Have a nice Christmas and be safe.

10/11/2025

This Armistice Day, the Wide Bay Hospitals Museum Soc. Inc. acknowledges the military service of all staff, both past and present, of Maryborough's Hospitals.

Today, we particularly wish to honour Field Evans Smith who was a Dispenser at the Maryborough General Hospital (as it was known then) for approx 5 years when he resigned in 1893 to open own Pharmacy business on the cnr Ellena and Adelaide Streets, Maryborough. Later he served on the Hospital's Management Committee prior to and after war service and was President at the time of enlistment in 1916.
F.E. Smith was a founding member of the Maryborough Ambulance Transport Brigade in 1897. He was the MATB Superintendent from 1897-1915 and had allowed the service to operate from rooms at his chemist shop until a purpose built Ambulance Headquarters was built in Adelaide St in 1915.
He was also a member of the Ambulance Corps, Wide Bay Regiment, QDF.
WW1 saw Smith enlist in the Australian Army Medical Corps, AIF from May 1916 – January 1917 where he was Dispenser on Hospital Transport Ships.

Lest We Forget

(Photo: F.E. Smith, MATB Superintendent, 1901, source Wide Bay Hospitals Museum Soc. Inc.)

29/09/2025

The museum had a pop up display at the Mary Poppins Festival yesterday. Lots of people visited our display and we had a great time chatting with many. Thanks to Marilyn, Colleen, Deb and Helen who helped with the display.