Events
Ararat & District Hospital – 150 Years Celebration & Reunion
When: 6th March - 8th March 2010
Community Invited to celebrate with EGHS
East Grampians Health Service is inviting Ararat and District residents to join them for a full day of activities for their 150 Years Community Celebrations on the Sunday 7th March, 2010.
The day will kick off at 8.45am with a Community Buffet Breakfast at Gum San Chinese Heritage Centre in which the Bendigo Chinese Lion Team will perform, bookings are essential. Their first appearance of the day at Gum San will acknowledge the connection of the Chinese community with the Ararat Hospital and the Ararat and District community from back in the later 1850's as part of the goldfields rush era, and importantly continues today.
A highlight on the day will be a Parade of Ex Nurses down Barkly Street commencing at 11am from the Edith Cavell Memorial with a short ceremony, then they will travel down Barkly Street in Vintage Cars provided by the Grampians Vintage Car Club. A tradition of the old days when nurses participated in Community Parades was to wear their ‘fox furs', and it will certainly create interest if a few of these appear on the day.
To build the Parade into a bigger Community Procession, residents are invited to meet at the Ararat Performing Arts Centre and join East Grampians Health Service staff and families, the Bendigo Lion Team and all together do a community walk up Vincent St to the Ararat Hospital. Processions have very much been mentioned in our local history over the years and the 150 Years Community Procession will re enact this, and stamp a mark in history for future generations. Those wanting to participate are asked to assemble ‘on foot' near the Ararat Performing Arts Centre and are most welcome to get into the spirit of the day and dress up in period costumes, with a number of old nurses uniforms perhaps coming out of the wardrobe for the occasion.
Local Emergency Services have very much worked in partnership with the Health Service over the years and Ararat Police, Ararat CFA, SES, Ambulance and St Johns vehicles have been invited to follow walkers to the hospital. The Ararat Police Road Traffic Management will be on duty with the activities in both Barkly Street and Vincent Street during the duration of the Parade and Procession. There will be minimal road closures and disruption to businesses and residents.
An Official Ceremony will get underway at 12 noon on the steps of Pyrenees House and will include Special Guests Minister for Health Hon Daniel Andrews and our local member Hon Joe Helper (Joe will also walk in the Procession) with an unveiling plaque ceremony to acknowledge 150 Years of providing health care to the community. There will also be the Blessing of the Hospital by Fr Brendan Davey who has been visiting ‘the hospital' for 23 years. A section of Girdlestone Street will be closed off so everyone can sit, enjoy and reflect. Following the ceremony the Ararat Lions Club and Ararat Y's Menettes will be in action with a community barbecue and refreshments and it hoped everyone will stay around to catch up with the visitors including past nurses and doctors who are coming back for the weekend.
From 1.00 pm onwards to 3.00 pm Pyrenees House will be open for the public to look around the Exhibition that will feature memorabilia up to 1937 from the unearthed "Time Capsule". There will also be site tours of East Grampians Health Service at 1.30 pm and 2.30 pm.
Other activities over the weekend to celebrate the 150 Years will include Registrations, Reunion Dinner, Site Tours and Pyrenees House on the Saturday and on the Monday celebrations will move to Willaura Hospital with their Outdoor Market, Site Tour, Exhibition and Tree Planting Ceremony.
To book for the Community Buffet Breakfast tickets are $25 each and these can be purchased by contacting East Grampians Health Service - 150 Years Celebration Tel: 5352 9318 or email cbeer@eghs.net.au
Our History:
1858:
A committee is formed to collect funds to build a place of refuge for the sick and needy on a site called 'Slaughter Yard Hill' and on 22nd August 1859 Frederick Lowe laid the foundation stone of a thirty- bed hospital. At a public meeting held on February 18, 1860 with President Fred Lowe, Esq, C.M.C. in the chair, the rules of the Ararat Hospital were established.
1886: Pyrenees House is built as a general hospital and operates in this role until 1937 when it was converted to a nurses home. In 1953 it became the geriatric ward (renamed John Pickford Geriatric Centre) until 1986. From 1988 this historic build has been used as adminstration offices and conference centre and is still a prominant part of the health service today.
1937: A three storey hospital is built and this building still forms part of the new Ararat Hospital which was officially opened in May 2005.
1995:
East Grampians Health Service is incorporated with the amalgamation of the Ararat and District Hospital, Willaura and the then John Pickford Geriatric Centre.
2005:
Official Opening of the $8.95 millon Ararat Hospital development by the Premier of Victoria, Hon Steve Bracks MP. This new facility was made possible by a State Government Grant and the outstanding community donation of $1.85 million.
Email: Send an email
Download Program Of Events
PDF document, 791.56KB, 20 Nov 2009
