Centenary Day a family affair for Morisset Hospital
1 May 2009
Everything from outrigger canoes and model yachts to classic cars and historical displays will be on show when Morisset Hospital puts on a special open day next month.
The mental health hospital is celebrating its centenary on Saturday, 9 May and everyone is welcome to come along and join the celebrations.
The hospital is set on 50 hectares of parkland and bushland on the shores of Lake Macquarie near Morisset.
The Centenary Day has a family feel to it – as well as being a great chance for former staff members, patients, carers and community groups to reunite and catch up with old friends.
Outrigger canoe races get underway at 10.30am down on the waterfront, with model yacht displays and races from 2pm.
And there is plenty for the landlubbers to see and do.
A centenary cricket match will be held on the nearby oval from 10.30am to 1.30pm, commemorating the first match held on the hospital grounds in 1909.
History buffs will also be able to see the winning trophy from that match and other historic items that help tell the story of Morisset Hospital in the small museum, which is located in the old staff dining room in the Recreation Hall, overlooking the lake.
A Centenary Plaque will be unveiled at 1.30pm
The Morisset Hospital Historical Society will also have historic photos on display as well as a display of photos from a “100 Years of Caring” competition run in conjunction with the centenary.
Motor vehicle displays near the waterfront will include everything from vintage and classic cars to trikes.
The sporting can also try their hand at bowls or visitors can enjoy a Devonshire tea.
There will be a range of food and drinks, plant and other stalls and entertainment for the kids.
Hunter New England Mental Health Area Director Dr Dinesh Arya said Morisset Hospital has played a major role in the local community – from the arrival of the first patients on 9 May 1909 to the present.
“We are celebrating 100 years of caring and we invite the whole community as well as current and former staff members, patients, carers and friends to join us on this special day,” Dr Arya said.
Some facts about Morisset Hospital
· In 1900, 1300 acres of land east of Morisset was reserved for an Asylum for the Insane. Clearing and construction started six years later, with building materials transported across Lake Macquarie by barge.
· The first patients, 78 men, arrived on the 9 May 1909.
· The cricket oval, poultry yards and gardens were completed in 1911.
· The first female patients and nursing staff arrived in March 1934.
· The Chapel was officially opened and dedicated on the 24 August 1957.
· The first hospital fete – known as the Festival of Flowers due to the abundance of flowers in bloom at the hospital at fete time – was held in 1962.
· In 1963, the patient population was reported as 1490.
· By 1970 patient numbers were declining due to more patients being eligible for disability pensions, more effective medications, treatment programs, and a change in community attitudes.
· The grounds of Morisset Hospital were proclaimed as a Wildlife Refuge in 1972. The hospital was once renowned for its flock of peacocks wandering about the grounds. It is now more renowned for its kangaroo mobs.
· Nowdays, Morisset Hospital is a 130-bed non-acute mental health facility. Its services include Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Neuropsychiatry (which provides care for people with acquired brain injury that affects their mental health) and Specialist Mental Health Services for Older People.
Historical information sourced from the Morisset Historical Society website at http://www.morissethospitalhistoricalsociety.websyte.com.au/
Contact: Frances Holz
Phone: 4939 2216