Old Isisford District Hospital facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Old Isisford District Hospital
Isisford Hospital - entrance from North, 2014
Location	6 St Agnes Street, Isisford, Longreach Region, Queensland, Australia
Built	1892–1960
Architect	Queensland Department of Public Works
Queensland Heritage Register
Official name: Isisford District Hospital (former)
Type	state heritage
Designated	9 September 2014
Reference no.	602837
Type	Health and care services: Hospital-public
Theme	Providing health and welfare services: Providing health services
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The Old Isisford District Hospital is a special old building in Isisford, Queensland, Australia. It used to be a public hospital. The Queensland Department of Public Works designed it, and it was built between 1914 and 1918. This hospital is important because it shows how healthcare changed in Queensland over many years. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on September 9, 2014, which means it's a protected historical site.

A Look Back: The Hospital's Story

The Old Isisford District Hospital is a group of wooden buildings with metal roofs. It's located in western central Queensland. The hospital first opened in 1892. More buildings were added between 1902 and 1961. It worked as a hospital until 1970 and then as a clinic until 2011. It's a great example of a local hospital. It shows how hospitals changed from the 1890s as people's needs, health ideas, and laws about hospitals changed.

Why Isisford Needed a Hospital

The Isisford area was explored in the 1840s and 1850s. Farmers started settling there in the mid-1860s. In 1874, two brothers, William and James Whitman, started a settlement called "Whittown." More people came to the area for farming, especially sheep. This made Whittown a busy place. In 1878, the town was officially mapped and renamed "Isis Ford." The area kept growing in the 1880s. More wool was produced, bringing many shearers (people who shear sheep) to the district. A railway line was also built, making it easier to transport goods and people.

By 1887, people realized Isisford needed a hospital and a doctor. A temporary hospital group was formed in 1891. They quickly raised A£400 and were promised A£800 more. In October 1891, a permanent hospital committee was chosen. By April 1892, they followed all the rules and could get money from the government. They asked for land to build the hospital, and a special hospital area was set aside. By September 1892, they had A£1000, and building started. In October 1892, they looked for a head nurse and a male helper. By February 1893, the hospital was treating patients.

How Hospitals Were Designed Back Then

The Isisford District Hospital was built on a hill south of the town. This was a common idea for hospitals in the late 1800s. It had several buildings connected together. This was called a "pavilion plan." It meant separate buildings or "pavilions" to let in lots of light and fresh air. Like other small hospitals in Queensland, the wards (patient rooms) and other rooms had wide verandahs (porches). Kitchens, bathrooms, and toilets were in separate blocks.

Hospital designs were influenced by an old idea called the "miasmatic theory of disease." People believed that diseases spread through bad air. So, good air flow and clean conditions were thought to stop sickness. A good hospital site was high up and had plenty of land, usually outside the town. Being on a hill helped catch breezes and bring fresh air into the wards. A large hospital area far from the town was thought to keep away bad smells and sickness. Hospitals often had huge plots of land, much more than they needed.

Growing with the Community

The hospital was run by its committee and supported by the community for 52 years. People raised money through donations, contributions from shearers, and events like concerts.

Isisford and the area around it grew a lot in the 30 years after the hospital opened. In 1901, Isisford had 270 people. This grew to 356 in 1907 and reached its highest at 388 residents in 1921. More farmers moved to the Isisford area between 1902 and 1926. Good weather and the railway line also helped the area become very successful for two decades.

This growth meant the hospital needed more space. A morgue (a place to keep bodies) was added by September 1903. In 1908, plans were made to add a female ward. In May 1913, another building was put up. We don't know its exact purpose from old reports. But in October 1913, rooms for the head nurse and other nurses were being furnished. A newspaper article from 1927 also mentioned that nurses' quarters had been added earlier.

Changes in Hospital Management

Big changes happened in how hospitals were managed in Queensland. The Labor Party came to power in 1915 and stayed in charge for a long time. In April 1916, newspapers reported that the Queensland Government planned to take over the Isisford District Hospital. A new committee was chosen, including two government representatives. However, the hospital committee still raised money through donations and events. The government helped by giving money for buildings and upkeep.

During World War I, it was hard for the Isisford District Hospital Committee to keep a doctor. They thought it would be easier if they could provide a place for the doctor to live. So, in 1918, the committee started raising money for a doctor's house, with help from the Queensland Government. It was built by early 1921.

What the Hospital Was Like in the 1920s

Around this time, a local newspaper, the Western Champion, described the hospital: "If there is one institution in Isisford of which the town and district people may feel proud it is the hospital. The fine block of buildings is erected on an elevated central position, and a beautiful breeze appears to always prevail around the spacious verandahs. It is over 30 years since the Isisford Hospital was founded - certainly in a small way at first, but the buildings have been gradually added to and improved until now the hospital is worthy of a place in much larger towns... The hospital in Isisford appears altogether too large and well-appointed for the size of the town, but still in years to come it may be too inadequate. There are male and female wards, in addition to private wards... operating theatre... dispensary.... The nurses and matron's private rooms are very snug. The northern verandah is well-curtained, and here the nurses have a very comfortable open-air sleeping apartment.... Separating the staff's apartments from the wards is a wide lounge, running the whole length of the building.... The kitchen is commodious and well equipped, and all the doors and windows are gauzed. There is ample verandah space - a most commendable provision on the part of the designers of the building. There is also a lock ward - a separate building, not long erected at a cost of £400 ... and arrangements are well forward for the erection of a maternity ward and also an infectious diseases ward. The hospital water supply is well provided for ... by means of several large tanks, while a "hospital" cow supplies all the milk that is necessary. The building is lighted throughout with acetylene gas.... A very fine new residence (which adjoins the hospital) has just been erected and furnished at a cost of about £1700 for the doctor."

A New Maternity Ward

The next big change for the Isisford District Hospital came after Queensland passed the Maternity Act in 1922. This law was part of a bigger effort to reduce the number of babies and mothers who died during childbirth. The Act created a network of free maternity hospitals across Queensland. These were paid for by the profits from the state lottery, the Golden Casket. The goal was to save lives, increase the birth rate, encourage people to settle in remote areas, and teach mothers how to care for children.

Over 15 years, many maternity wards and hospitals were built. This changed maternity services from private nursing homes or home births to public hospitals. By 1940, almost all women in Queensland could use a government-built maternity facility. Queensland was unique in creating such a wide network. Remote areas like Isisford were given priority. The Isisford District Hospital received a standard five-bed maternity ward. It was designed by the Department of Public Works and built in 1923–24. It opened in January 1925.

The maternity ward had a labour ward, a sterilizing room, a duty room, and two two-bed wards. These wards opened onto a verandah. The building was connected to the main hospital by a covered walkway. It cost about A£1600, including furniture. The Isisford District Hospital Committee was responsible for its upkeep.

In 1927, The Longreach Leader newspaper described the hospital's growth: "The original hospital building is now used for two female wards and a kitchen. Additions since opening have been nurses' quarters, two female wards, operating theatre, isolation ward, maternity ward and doctor's residence. The institution is equipped with electric lighting and Xray plant. Staff comprise a medical officer, matron, two nurses and the domestic staff namely yardsman, cook, housemaid and laundress. There are four general wards - public and private ward for males and two similar wards for females."

More health laws were passed in the 1920s and 1930s. The Hospitals Act of 1923 set up a new way for hospitals to be managed by district boards. However, in the 1930s, the Isisford District Hospital still relied on its committee's fundraising. This showed how important the hospital was to the area. The committee made improvements, like changing the maternity ward in 1933 for better air flow. In 1935, they added running water after the town's weir (a small dam) was finished.

After World War II: New Challenges

After World War II, how hospitals were funded and run in Australia changed a lot. Queensland's Health Act Amendment Act of 1944 ended any volunteer hospitals. It gave the Queensland Government full control of the hospital system. Local councils no longer had to pay for hospital upkeep. Their say on hospital boards was reduced. The Isisford Hospital came under the control of the Blackall Hospitals Board.

Finding enough staff became a problem after the war. The community started fundraising to help. There was no doctor at Isisford Hospital between December 1945 and May 1946. When the remaining medical staff quit because they were overworked, the hospital temporarily closed. This made the committee write a complaint letter to Queensland Premier Ned Hanlon in May 1946. They complained about the lack of staff due to government problems.

At the same time, public meetings were held. Isisford started the Isisford Hospital Benefit Fund in June 1946. This was a voluntary donation list to pay nurses an extra A£5 per month. This was to help with the higher cost of living in the isolated area. Because of this extra pay, the head nurse returned. Two fully qualified nurses and an assistant nurse were hired. The extra A£5 per month helped keep a full nursing staff. However, it was still hard to get doctors through the central system and keep them.

After World War II, Isisford's population grew. Its facilities improved because of good seasons and high wool prices. But a shearers' strike in 1956 led to many shearers leaving the town.

From 1948 into the 1950s, the Isisford Hospital was expanded. This included a new kitchen, operating theatre, and an extension to one of the 1892 buildings. The Blackall Hospitals Board was told that their plan to update the Isisford Hospital was approved. An X-ray machine was also approved for Isisford.

Morgue, 2014

In early 1956, a windstorm damaged the Isisford morgue. The Blackall Hospital Board suggested building a new morgue. In the same year, the 1892 ward building was removed. By 1958, a new operating theatre with a terrazzo floor (a type of floor with chips of marble or other materials) was finished. It was designed by architects Fulton & Collin from Brisbane. More updates and additions, including a kitchen and laundry, happened at Isisford Hospital in the 1950s and 1960s.

The Hospital's Later Years

The 1960s and 1970s were a time of decline for Isisford. The last full-time doctor left in 1959. By 1961, the population had dropped to 293. It kept falling, especially after a drought in 1965, reaching 169 in 1971. This led to fewer services. For example, in 1979, the Isisford Post Office became a smaller, unofficial post office.

On September 14, 1970, the Queensland Cabinet decided that the Isisford Hospital would become an Outpatients' Centre. It would have a few beds for short stays and a dental clinic. At this time, the hospital had: a general section with private and public wards for males and females; a maternity section with a public ward, two private rooms, and a labour ward; an outpatient department; an operating theatre; an X-ray department; a dental clinic; a kitchen and dining room; a laundry; a boiler house; a morgue; storerooms; and staff living quarters. The public ward and nursery in the maternity ward were used by the head nurse as her bedroom and sitting room. The private rooms became a Dental Clinic because maternity cases were sent to Blackall Hospital. Later, the doctor's house was removed.

In 1996, a study of historical buildings found that the Isisford Hospital Maternity Ward was very important to Queensland's heritage. It was still mostly in its original condition. The 1909 pavilion ward was also seen as an important example of a 20th-century ward.

In the 2000s, even more services were reduced in the region. The Jericho-Yaraka railway line closed. It was replaced by a sealed road from Blackall to Windorah. Queensland Rail stopped using the Yaraka line in November 2006. Isisford's population was 262, similar to its level in the 1960s and 1970s.

The Isisford Clinic, located in the former hospital, closed in 2011. A new Isisford Primary Health Clinic opened nearby on the corner of St Agnes and St Helena Streets, still within the old hospital area. As of 2014, what would happen to the old hospital buildings was still being decided.

As of 2014, the former Isisford District Hospital still has parts from its earliest days. It also shows how it grew over 70 years. Part of the original hospital is at the center of its design. The 1909 pavilion ward is still complete and is now rare. Out of 78 pavilion hospitals and wards identified in a 1996 survey, this ward is one of fewer than 21 still standing. The 1924 maternity ward is one of only about 13 standard plan maternity wards left. Many of these have been changed a lot. But the Isisford Maternity Ward is one of the most original ones remaining.

What the Hospital Looks Like Now

The former Isisford Hospital is on a raised spot at the corner of St Agnes and St Helena Streets in Isisford. It's a large group of low, single-story wooden buildings with corrugated iron roofs. They are connected by verandahs and covered walkways. The buildings include: the 1892 building, the 1909 pavilion female ward, the 1924 maternity ward, the 1950s operating theatre, the 1950s morgue, and the 1961 kitchen wing. There are also old trees around the hospital, like a Kurrajong tree, a Moreton Bay Fig tree, and a Eucalyptus tree.

Key Buildings and Their Features

The 1892 building is in the middle, between the 1909 pavilion ward to the west and the 1950s operating theatre to the southeast. Its wooden frame is visible on the southern enclosed verandah. The rest of the building is covered with wooden boards or flat sheets. The western end was extended under the 1909 ward's verandah. Rooms were changed to make an outpatient clinic. The eastern end is covered by interior walls. The ceilings are lined with flat sheets, and the floors have vinyl. The original doors and windows have been replaced. The southern verandah, which connects the buildings, is enclosed with lattice (a criss-cross pattern). The northern verandah is enclosed to form a waiting room and pharmacy. You can enter the building from the north using a concrete ramp.

Verandahs enclosed with lattice, 2014

The 1909 pavilion female ward is a long, rectangular building with a hipped roof (a roof that slopes down on all sides). It has wide verandahs all around, mostly enclosed with lattice. You can see the wooden frame inside. The interior walls are covered with wide, v-jointed tongue-and-groove boards. It has a coved pressed metal ceiling (a ceiling with decorative metal panels) and polished wooden floors. It's one room wide and still has its original doors and windows. There are French doors (double doors) with fanlights (windows above the doors) at each end and four along each side. A nurses' station is in the middle, separating the two ward rooms. It sticks out onto the western verandah, across from the entrance. This area has flat sheet linings, doors, and windows looking into the wards. It also has doors to the eastern verandah. Another set of stairs is on the southern verandah, next to the bathroom. These bathrooms in the southwest corner were updated in the 1950s with laminate panels and terrazzo floors. A similar 1950s kitchen addition and two staff rooms are on the northern verandah.

The 1924 maternity ward is a standard five-bed design. It has a hipped corrugated iron roof with small vents. It's connected to the north end of the 1909 female ward by a short covered walkway. The main entrance is on the eastern verandah, with another set of stairs on the western verandah. The outer walls, protected by verandahs, and the inner walls and ceilings are lined with v-jointed tongue-and-groove boards. Most of the original doors and windows are still there, except for some sliding aluminum windows that replaced the old ones. The floors have vinyl. Only small changes have been made. The old duty room now has kitchen cabinets. Openings were made in the north and south walls of the old sterilizing room. The wall between the single-bed wards was removed. Wall vents between the single and two-bed wards were covered. The northwest verandah was enclosed. Lattice screens and vertical louvres (slats) were added to the verandahs.

Newer buildings on the site are from the 1950s. They have low-sloped corrugated iron roofs and wide eaves (the part of the roof that hangs over the walls). The operating theatre is attached to the southern end of the 1909 pavilion ward. It's covered in wooden boards and has an entrance hall, operating theatre, and other rooms with flat sheet linings and terrazzo floors. Next to the theatre wing, to the east, is the 1960s kitchen. It's attached to the southeastern end of the 1892 building's verandah. This building, covered in wooden boards, has a kitchen, dining room, and living quarters. You can get to it from an open verandah to the east and a lattice-enclosed verandah to the west. The roof of this wing extends north beyond the 1892 wing and over the old emergency room, forming a verandah along its north and east sides. The 1950s morgue is a small, separate wooden building on a concrete slab to the west of the 1909 ward.

The hospital is set in large grounds with big, old trees. These include a Kurrajong tree north of the 1892 building and a Moreton Bay Fig tree and a Eucalyptus tree west of the 1909 ward.

Why This Place is Important

The Old Isisford District Hospital was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on September 9, 2014. This means it's recognized as an important historical site for several reasons.

Showing How History Changed

The former Isisford District Hospital (which operated from 1892 to 1970) is important because it shows how hospitals and medical services developed for country towns in Queensland during the 1800s and 1900s. The original 1892 building, the 1909 female ward, the 1924 maternity ward, the 1950s morgue, operating theatre, and the 1961 kitchen extension were all built because the community grew, health practices changed, and government rules about hospitals evolved.

The former maternity ward (1924) is especially important. It shows how maternity services grew in Queensland because of the Maternity Act of 1922. This building, located in a remote western town, also shows how widespread this 1922 policy was.

A Rare Look at the Past

The former Isisford District Hospital maternity ward is a rare and complete example of a standard maternity ward designed by the Department of Public Works. This design used to be common. Out of 71 maternity wards built in Queensland, it is one of only two that are still mostly in their original condition.

The 1909 pavilion ward is also a rare and complete example of a 20th-century pavilion ward. This design was also once common.

What Makes It a Typical Hospital

The former Isisford District Hospital is important because it shows the main features of a typical district hospital in Queensland. It's on a large, elevated piece of land away from the town center. The hospital includes patient wards, an operating theatre, a maternity ward, a sterilizing room, a dispensary (where medicines were prepared), a morgue, staff living areas, a kitchen, and laundry facilities.

The Maternity Ward is important because it shows the main features of a standard five-bed maternity ward built after the Maternity Act of 1922. These features include a labour ward, a sterilizing room, a duty room (which was often a nursery), two single-bed wards, one two-bed ward, and an extra wing, all connected by verandahs.