EXPLORE THE HISTORY OF PRINCE HENRY HOSPITAL

Prince Henry Hospital was established in 1881 as NSW’s first hospital for infectious diseases. It closed in 2003. The Prince Henry Hospital Nursing and Medical Museum maintain an extensive collection of documents, artefacts and memorabilia related to Prince Henry Hospital, the hundreds of doctors, nurses, patients and support staff associated with it and the general history of medicine in NSW.

Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale 1820-1910
1884 The Coast Hospital Sanitorium Bell Tents
1881 Smallpox Outbreak prompts establishment of isolation hospital
Bravery bandages and bedpans Infographic Smallpox
SMALLPOX
Matron: Mrs Mary Meyler 1881-1885
Newspaper Clipping 1882 Beattie announced as medical superintendant
1882 Joseph Beattie appointed Medical Superintendent
1900 View of Coast Hospital from across little bay
1883 Coast Hospital formerly established
1884 The Coast Hospital expands
Matron: Miss M.D. Farquharson 1885-1886
Matron: Miss Isabella Dickson 1886-1888
Coast Hospital Matron Helen McKay
Matron: Mrs Helen McKay 1888-1891
Bravery bandages and bedpans Infographic Leprosy
LEPROSY
The Lazaret in 1900
1890 Plans to relocate Leprosy patients developed
Coast Hospital Matron Jean McMaster
Matron: Miss Jean McMaster 1891-1905
1890s Zoeller & Ross Operating Table
1894 Nursing school and surgical division established
1896 The first five nurses graduate from Coast Hospital Training School
THE PLAGUE
1900 An outbreak of Bubonic Plague ravages Sydney
Group portrait of brothers of the Red Cross in front of a tent
Male Nurses
1901 Commonwealth of Australia declared
Steam tram
1901 First Steam Tram from the City to Little Bay
1902 The Plague returns
Coast Hospital Matron Watson
Matron: Miss Alice Watson 1905-1926
1908 Nursing course extended to 4 years
1912 Electric lights installed
Flowers Wards Coast Hospital Little Bay
1913 The Flowers Hospital
Newspaper Clipping 1914 Britain and France at war with Germany
1914 WWI Breaks out
1920 Coast Hospital Ward
1917 Additional military wards constructed.
Sister Sarah Margaret Furnifull 1916
Herstory: Sister Sarah Margaret Furnifull 1887-1984
Prince Henry Hospital Nurse Sister Edith Blake
1918 Sister Edith Blake 1885-1918
Bravery bandages and bedpans Infographic Inflenza
INFLUENZA
1918-1920 The Influenza Pandemic
Bravery bandages and bedpans Infographic Childhood Diseases
CHILDHOOD DISEASES
1920 The Coast Hospital develops apace
1922 The Golf Course
Bravery bandages and bedpans Infographic Measles
MEASLES
Coast Hospital Matron Burne
Matron: Miss Caroline M Burne 1926-1936
1927 Coast Hospital experiences serious overcrowding
Bravery bandages and bedpans Infographic Mumps
MUMPS
1930s Graduate nurses with doctor
1930 The Depression creates demand for nursing training
Newspaper Clipping 1933 Medical Super Miller retires
1933 Medical Superintendent Dr Reginald Millard retires
1934 The Coast Hospital renamed Prince Henry Hospital
1935 The new Nurses Home opens
Prince Henry Hospital Matron Dickson
Matron: Miss Clarice M Dickson 1936-1937
Prince Henry Hospital trained nurse Olive Pratt in 1936
Herstory: Olive Freeman Pratt 1916-2009
1940 hospital Prince Henry entrance
1936 Prince Henry Hospital Act is passed by NSW Parliament
1937 A Preliminary Training School for Nurses is established
Prince Henry Hospital Matron Mcnevin
Matron: Miss Ethel McNevin 1937-1955
1937 Demolition of old buldings begins
Bravery bandages and bedpans Infographic Polio
POLIO
1938 Post Graduate Medical School opened by Lord Wakefield
1939 War with Germany Declared
1939 Outbreak of WWII
1941 The commercial development of Penicillin
1942 War time restricts hospital activities
Constable Coulson recovers in the police ward
1946 Police Ward established
1948 Old wards demolished
Newspaper Clipping 1905 Prince Henry Polio Ward Full
1950 Polio Outbreak
1951 First virus diagnostic laboratory established.
Prince Henry Hospital Matron Croll
Matron: Miss Hope Croll 1955-1966
Bravery bandages and bedpans Infographic Hepatitis
HEPATITIS
1960s student doctors train in operating theatre
1960 Prince Henry Hospital becomes a teaching hospital
1961 Gabrielle Hannemann - A True Survivor
1960s Nursing recruitment stand
1962 Nurses Education Centre and Respiratory Unit opens
1963 PHH and POWH Randwick united under one administrative board.
1960s student doctors train in operating theatre
1964 First undergraduate medical students are admitted.
Bravery bandages and bedpans Infographic Gastro
GASTROENTERITIS
Prince henry hospital nurse Ann Thompson
Herstory: Anne Thompson - Nursing during the 60’s
1965 Operating theatre at Prince Henry Hospital
1965 first kidney transplant in NSW
Prince Henry Hospital Matron Adderley
Matron: Miss Vera Adderley 1966-1968
The Coast Chapel at Little Bay
1967 The Coast Chapel opens
Prince Henry Hospital Matron O'Rourke
Matron: Miss Mary J O'Rourke 1968-1969
1970 Christo wraps Little Bay womens Weekly Clipping
1969 Christo & Jean Claude wrap Little Bay
Prince Henry Hospital Matron McKinnon
Matron: Miss Jean McKinnon 1969-1971
1970s Prince Henry Hospital hyperbaric chamber
1971 Hyperbaric Unit Opens
1970s graduate nurses celebrate
1971 Nurses Training Certificate drops from 4 to 3 years
Prince Henry Hospital Matron Kilkeary
Matron: Miss Marie C Kilkeary 1971-1972
Prince Henry Hospital Matron Mrs Phyllis Newnham
Matron: Mrs Phyllis M Newnham 1973-1979
Prince Henry Hospital Matron Englert
Matron: Mrs Joan Englert 1979-1992
Bravery bandages and bedpans Infographic HIV
HIV AIDS
1987 Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Lithotriptor Centre and AIDS unit opens
1995 installation of the new hyperbaric unit at prince of wales hospital
1995 Hyperbaric Unit transfers to POW
1988 Tharunka Headline Prince Henry Hospital works for 107 years then gets nicked
1988 NSW Government announces closure of Prince Henry Hospital
Matron: Mrs Jennifer O'Connell 1995-2003
1998 Medical facilities transferred to POW Randwick
1950s Prince Henry Nurses with Bedpans and piss pots
1991 PHHTNA establishes archival collection
Matron: Miss Beryl Simons 1992-1995
2003 Prince Henry precinct at Little Bay Landcom Logo
2000 Landcom appointed to create masterplan for Prince Henry precinct
Herstory: Nurse Alice Windle
2003 Last wards close; Museum opens