Morris Hospital opened in 1931 as the Northfield Consumptive Home and Cancer Block, caring for patients with tuberculosis and other chronic illnesses. Over the decades, it has evolved including establishing the state’s first Paraplegic Unit.
The Northfield Consumptive Home and Cancer Block opened on 11 November 1931, designed to treat patients with tuberculosis (also known as consumption) and cancer. It was situated on a 24 acre site east of Hampstead Road, part of the former Conrad’s estate. The grounds included an administrative block, nurses’ home, three consumptive wards for 86 patients, and a cancer ward for 26 patients.
There was no official opening, rather the day was marked with two minutes silence for Armistice Day. Patients were transferred from the Adelaide Hospital Consumptive Home and Cancer Block near the Botanic Gardens and transported by van under driver Alan Rush, a former police ambulance driver.
A New Name
In November 1936, the hospital was renamed Morris Hospital in memory of Dr Bedlington Howel Morris, the first Inspector General of Hospitals. The new name was widely used from 1937.
By 1939, the hospital began taking patients from other facilities. That year, long-serving Matron Constance Hart retired after 22 years’ service. That same year, the Royal Adelaide Hospital took over part of the Magill Old Folks Home to ease overcrowding at North Terrace. Cancer patients were redirected from Morris to Magill, and Morris Hospital focused more on Tuberculosis patients.
Army Occupation
In February 1941, wartime emergency powers saw the Defence Department take over Morris Hospital, converting it into a military general hospital; first the 1st AGH109, then AGH121. Civilian patients were moved to the Metropolitan Infectious Diseases Hospital.
Courtesy of State Library of South Australia
To house the sudden influx of military personnel, tents were erected behind the main hospital buildings. These were later replaced with Nissen huts (corrugated iron structures known also as Syrian huts). These huts were hot in summer and freezing in winter.
On 21 October 1946, Major Farthing formally handed the keys of Morris Hospital back to the Hospitals Department. The Army, however, kept some of the buildings and continued using them for storage such as its fuel for its fire-fighting unit in the Kerol Room. Much of the hospital’s furniture and equipment had been used by the Army and needed repair or replacing. During this period, patients remained at the Metropolitan Infectious Diseases Hospital until Morris was ready to reopen.
Post War
Patients began gradually being transferred back to Morris Hospital in 1948. That year also saw the opening of a refurbished entertainment hall and an onsite canteen. Grounds were replanted, often with community help. Tree plantings, including Largunaria and Carab trees, were approved in 1953, although theft of some saplings in 1955 caused setbacks. Landscaping improvements were ongoing, with recommendations to replant the front boundary with elms for a more decorative appearance.
Some of the wartime Nissan or Syrian Huts remained onsite. By 1949, three huts were removed due to poor condition, yet one remained well into the 1980s. The last hut was used as a snooker room and later as an art studio for Joe Tilcer, a long-term patient and accomplished hand and mouth painter.
Through the late 1940s and 1950s, Morris Hospital expanded its services adding occupational therapy, upgraded equipment, part-time social worker, librarian, physiotherapist and other specialist clinics. The hospital also maintained a social programme to keep patients engaged with activities like flower making and puppet shows. Although the hospital treated adults over 12 years of age, occasionally it admitted young children with tuberculosis. During redevelopment at the Adelaide Children’s Hospital, children were transferred to Morris Hospital where visiting teachers kept their lessons going.
Paraplegic Unit
By the late 1950s, tuberculosis cases were declining thanks to improved treatments and compulsory chest x-ray programmes. This freed up beds for other uses. At the same time, senior orthopaedic staff at the Royal Adelaide Hospital saw the need for a dedicated paraplegic unit. Until then, paraplegic and quadriplegic patients were scattered through orthopaedic wards, putting pressure on space and resources.
In January 1962, Ward 4 at Morris Hospital became home to the state’s first Paraplegic Unit. It was established as a two phase service: ten beds at the Royal Adelaide Hospital for acute cases and surgery, and 26 beds at Morris Hospital for rehabilitation. Mr J Russell Barbour was appointed Honorary Medical officer in charge of the unit, along with Sister Janet Tyler, nurse in charge. Other staff included medical officers, nursing staff, physiotherapists, physical training instructors, social workers and an occupational therapist. Facilities at Morris Hospital were adapted for the new service, including altered toilet blocks, therapeutic playing fields, and physiotherapy areas.
The following years saw expansion into other wards, with Ward 3 eastern half being used for neurosurgical rehabilitation, while the western side was used for the Paraplegic Unit.
Sport
Morris Hospital quickly became a hub for sport and rehabilitation. In 1963, it hosted the first Australian Paraplegic Games, welcoming 70 interstate wheelchair athletes in sports ranging from basketball to fencing. The Paraplegic Association of South Australia, formed in 1962, worked alongside the unit to provide transport, specialised equipment, and assistance with housing, employment and sport. Morris Hospital continued to host sporting events for many years. The hospital retained the Morris name despite suggestions to rename it Greenacres in 1965.
In 1973, a new heated hydrotherapy pool was officially opened, complete with an electric hoist to help patients in and out of the water. The hospital also gained a driving instructor for patients, a new gymnasium (opened in 1979). In late December 1974, following the devastation of Cyclone Tracy in Darwin, Morris Hospital provided care for evacuees flown to Adelaide. In 1975 the Paraplegic Unit was renamed the Spinal Injuries Unit.
The site attracted international attention, including a visit from Sir Ludwig Guttman, founder of the Paralympic movement in 1977.
Neurosurgical Rehabilitation
At the beginning of 1976, Morris Hospital opened a Neurosurgical Unit (Morris Ward III) as an extension of the Royal Adelaide Hospital’s Neurosurgical Unit. It focused on helping patients with brain injuries relearn daily activities, supported by intensive physiotherapy and occupational therapy.
In June 1976, the Central Biomedical Engineering Unit began operating from the Morris Hospital Administration Building. Introduced by the Hospitals Department, the unit provided services for almost 70 hospitals across South Australia. These included pre-delivery testing of new equipment for country hospitals, maintenance of equipment for government country hospitals, and assessment of new equipment for use in South Australian hospitals.
In 1981, Morris Wards was incorporated with Northfield into the newly formed the Hampstead Centre, marking the end of Morris Hospital as a separate institution. The wards continued to operate on site until November 1994, when all services were transferred to the Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre. After 63 years, Morris Hospital closed its doors.
Written by Margot Way, CALHN Health Museum
