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Historic ward finally listed with National Trust of Australia - Tenterfield Star
Historic ward finally listed with National Trust of Australia - Tenterfield Star
Historic ward finally listed with National Trust of Australia
ERIC PARNIS
17/03/2009 9:41:00 AM
The National Trust of Australia (NSW) has placed the former Isolation Ward at Tenterfield Hospital on its National Trust Register after almost five years of campaigning from retired doctor Ian Unsworth to save and convert the building into a museum.
Although registering the isolation ward with the national trust carries no legal force, classification, as it is known, is recognised as an important statement of the cultural significance for places included on the register.
Dr Unsworth hopes that gaining classification with the National Trust of Australia will give more weight to the cultural importance of the isolation ward to the history of the 1918-1920 Spanish 'Flu and Influenza epidemic not only in Tenterfield but Australia as a whole.
"It's all part of Tenterfield's history, this epidemic of Spanish 'Flu," Dr Unsworth said.
"The significance of a little country town of Tenterfield designing and eventually building a fever ward for victims of Spanish 'Flu was an incredible feat for the people of Tenterfield in the early 1900s. A isolation block is not common for a country hospital to have.
"It was not just uncommon for inland country hospitals to have an isolation ward built for the Spanish 'Flu epidemic, but rare. Broken Hill Hospital is reported to have had constructed a Spanish 'Flu ward, but by the end of the 19th century only footings remain, and only three other existing country isolation blocks on operating country grounds have been identified though none of these were constructed in response to the influenza epidemic that killed around 12,000 Australians.
"It was a big event for Australia," Dr Unsworth said. "We thought we were so far away from everything, and then the infected servicemen returned home. Spanish 'Flu was devastating in Australia and the world. Some estimate that 120million people died across the world from the epidemic, more than died in the First World War."
Dr Unsworth described the National Trust classification as a tremendous joy for the people who had worked on the campaign, and said that it was an important step towards recognition from the Heritage Council of NSW because it accepts places into its register with a criteria indicating its cultural significance - "its historic, aesthetic, social and scientific value of past, present and future generations".
"I had applied to the NSW Heritage Office in July, 2004, and they advised me that the isolation ward did not meet the standards to go on the state heritage list and that it needed to demonstrate a certain level of heritage for the state," he said.
"We will now provide the heritage office with the information and in-depth research Jennifer McMonnies did for the national trust submission," said Dr Unsworth.
It is hoped that the isolation ward will be recognised by the heritage office - and therefore included under the NSW Heritage Act, 1977 - because the block is in virtually original condition has now gained the added weight of being classified by the National Trust of Australia.
"The hospital has original building plans for the fever ward that show it is almost identical to as it was when it was originally built. The only difference is that the east facing verandah is now enclosed - and that can easily be changed - but apart from that, there are no major structural changes," Dr Unsworth said.
As for the future of the former Isolation Ward at the Tenterfield Hospital, Dr Unsworth said that the hospital management planned to clean and repair the building and use it as a small museum for the Tenterfield Hospital.
"Once it is cleared out and hospital management remove rubbish to determine repairs and work needed, we hope to turn the block into a small museum for all the wonderful artefacts the hospital has accumulated over the last hundred years.
"I've seen a lot of items stored all over the hospital, stored in the ceilings and floors and walls, that is worth cleaning, fixing up and tastefully displaying."
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<cite cite="http://tenterfield.yourguide.com.au/news/local/news/general/historic-ward-finally-listed-with-national-trust-of-australia/1463642.aspx?storypage=0">Historic ward finally listed with National Trust of Australia - Local News - News - General - Tenterfield Star</cite>
ERIC PARNIS
17/03/2009 9:41:00 AM
The National Trust of Australia (NSW) has placed the former Isolation Ward at Tenterfield Hospital on its National Trust Register after almost five years of campaigning from retired doctor Ian Unsworth to save and convert the building into a museum.
Although registering the isolation ward with the national trust carries no legal force, classification, as it is known, is recognised as an important statement of the cultural significance for places included on the register.
Dr Unsworth hopes that gaining classification with the National Trust of Australia will give more weight to the cultural importance of the isolation ward to the history of the 1918-1920 Spanish 'Flu and Influenza epidemic not only in Tenterfield but Australia as a whole.
"It's all part of Tenterfield's history, this epidemic of Spanish 'Flu," Dr Unsworth said.
"The significance of a little country town of Tenterfield designing and eventually building a fever ward for victims of Spanish 'Flu was an incredible feat for the people of Tenterfield in the early 1900s. A isolation block is not common for a country hospital to have.
"It was not just uncommon for inland country hospitals to have an isolation ward built for the Spanish 'Flu epidemic, but rare. Broken Hill Hospital is reported to have had constructed a Spanish 'Flu ward, but by the end of the 19th century only footings remain, and only three other existing country isolation blocks on operating country grounds have been identified though none of these were constructed in response to the influenza epidemic that killed around 12,000 Australians.
"It was a big event for Australia," Dr Unsworth said. "We thought we were so far away from everything, and then the infected servicemen returned home. Spanish 'Flu was devastating in Australia and the world. Some estimate that 120million people died across the world from the epidemic, more than died in the First World War."
Dr Unsworth described the National Trust classification as a tremendous joy for the people who had worked on the campaign, and said that it was an important step towards recognition from the Heritage Council of NSW because it accepts places into its register with a criteria indicating its cultural significance - "its historic, aesthetic, social and scientific value of past, present and future generations".
"I had applied to the NSW Heritage Office in July, 2004, and they advised me that the isolation ward did not meet the standards to go on the state heritage list and that it needed to demonstrate a certain level of heritage for the state," he said.
"We will now provide the heritage office with the information and in-depth research Jennifer McMonnies did for the national trust submission," said Dr Unsworth.
It is hoped that the isolation ward will be recognised by the heritage office - and therefore included under the NSW Heritage Act, 1977 - because the block is in virtually original condition has now gained the added weight of being classified by the National Trust of Australia.
"The hospital has original building plans for the fever ward that show it is almost identical to as it was when it was originally built. The only difference is that the east facing verandah is now enclosed - and that can easily be changed - but apart from that, there are no major structural changes," Dr Unsworth said.
As for the future of the former Isolation Ward at the Tenterfield Hospital, Dr Unsworth said that the hospital management planned to clean and repair the building and use it as a small museum for the Tenterfield Hospital.
"Once it is cleared out and hospital management remove rubbish to determine repairs and work needed, we hope to turn the block into a small museum for all the wonderful artefacts the hospital has accumulated over the last hundred years.
"I've seen a lot of items stored all over the hospital, stored in the ceilings and floors and walls, that is worth cleaning, fixing up and tastefully displaying."
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