While there were other hospitals in our district, this “History Bits and Pieces” talks about the hospital which is still being used today, even though it has changed a great deal from when it was built in 1936. There will be more about the older hospitals later. This is from “The Advertiser. Thursday 9 April 1936.” NEW MURAT BAY HOSPITAL. Work Costing £4,525 To Begin Soon.

“At its monthly meeting today, the District Council of Murat Bay accepted the tender of Mr. W.H.R. Wiese, of Ceduna, for the erection of the new Murat Bay District Hospital, at a cost of £4525. For more than 10 years the Bush Church Aid Society of Sydney has been conducting a small cottage hospital at Ceduna, first in a small stone house about a mile from the town, and, for the past four years, in a jarrah weatherboard bungalow in Ceduna. Until three months ago, when an extra sister was sent from Sydney, this was staffed by two trained nurses sent by the Bush Church Aid Society. The nurses had the assistance of two probationers and a domestic staff. So great has been the increase in the number of patients and the volume of operating theatre work that two weeks ago a fourth sister was appointed from Adelaide. The medical officer is Dr. R. W. Gibson, who has the assistance of his wife (Dr. Freda Gibson). At its last meeting the district council decided to hand the new hospital over to the Bush Church Aid Society, which will conduct it under an agreement with the council.

The new building will provide for 16 beds, and will be built of stone. It will be erected on a special hospital reserve, recently set aside by the Government a short distance from the northern end of Ceduna. The reserve is on rising ground with a complete view of Murat Bay.

Work on the new buildings should be begun within a few weeks, and it is expected that it will be completed within eight months. At a poll held in December, the ratepayers assented to the raising of a loan of £4,000 by the council for building the new hospital. An overwhelming majority voted in favour of the undertaking.

Only three tenders were submitted for the work. The State president of the Country Women’s Association (Mrs. I. J. Warnes) has been invited to lay the foundation stone in June as a mark of appreciation of the work done by the local branch of the association in fostering the movement for a new hospital at Ceduna.

HISTORY BITS AND PIECES Some stories and photos of our district by Sue Trewartha and Erica Bodger. See Ceduna Old Photos on Facebook for more local history and photos.