This Thursday, 25 April 2024, is Anzac Day. The day holds great national importance, marking the first significant military operation fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. While perusing our catalogue of war photographs, one image of Mary McFarlane stood out. This photograph hails from a pre-internet era, a time […]
Doctor’s bags have been used for centuries to transport medical equipment, medicine, and supplies on home visits and across hospital wards alike. Used primarily by physicians, but also by nurses and other professional medical staff, they were traditionally made of leather with a top handle opening into two sections, like the Gladstone bag. Cases, as […]
Take a visual journey through the Royal Adelaide Hospital’s (RAH) ward changes since 1841! Discover below how the hospital wards have evolved over the years with fascinating pictures that showcase the history and transformation of its wards. First Adelaide Hospital When the Royal Adelaide Hospital opened its doors to patients in 1841, the first purpose-built […]
From the 1950s to the 1970s Royal Adelaide Hospital student nurses attended Preliminary Training School (PTS) in Ayers House. Many students also lived in Ayers House and nearby buildings known as the annexes. Below are some memories from nurses that experienced this period of nursing training. Sister Kennedy was our tutor and she was fresh […]
Hospital’s can be big. The Royal Adelaide Hospital for example covers the equivalent of three city blocks. It can often be hard to visualise the scale of hospitals when we are looking at them from street level. Adding to this is the jumble of different buildings, that many hospitals are made up of. Fortunately the […]
This year one of our events for the SA History Festival was a tour of The Queen Elizabeth Hospital. These tours were led by some of our wonderful volunteers, all former nurses that worked in the hospital. It was wonderful to hear their stories, and get a glimpse into what it was like to work […]
Recently the CALHN Health Museum collaborated with The Hospital Research Foundation – Creative Health to produce an exhibition titled The Happy Snaps and the Hospital Plans as part of South Australia’s History Festival 2023. On display in the Creative Health Gallery at Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre is a two part exhibition showcasing some of the CALHN […]
It was common for hospital staff to compete in sport teams under the (Royal) Adelaide Hospital name. In 1928 this included a table tennis team. Table Tennis came to Australia in the late 19th Century and was commonly known by the name Ping Pong. The photograph below shows the Adelaide Hospital table tennis team from […]
There is nothing quite like the simple joys of getting some fresh air and sunshine. I think many of us can appreciate the benefits that spending time outdoors has on how we feel. These benefits have long been recognised in the health setting too. The CALHN Health Museum holds many photographs dating from the early […]
The CALHN Health Museum has a number of photo albums in its collection. Many are personal photo albums of those that lived and worked at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. Some of these albums are just as notable for the beauty of the album as the photographs that they hold. This Japanese themed album belonged to […]
As the sun set on the official final day of the former Royal Adelaide Hospital, an eerie silence filled the corridors of a once bustling metropolitan hospital. From the cradle to the grave, with much in between, the hospital played a pivotal role in the lives of many patients, workers, and visitors, from its opening […]