Calvary Hospital held a small ceremony reflecting on the importance of one of its oldest buildings, O’Connor House, which is set for demolition. Photo: Jarryd Rowley.
One of Calvary Hospital’s oldest buildings, O’Connor House, will soon be knocked down as the hospital progresses with its new masterplan.
O’Connor House was built in 1944 and served as the living quarters for many nurses and staff who worked at the hospital.
In 1978 the building was repurposed, becoming a site for drug and alcohol services.
Hospital staff and members of the public gathered at Calvary on Tuesday (24 February) to honour the legacy of O’Connor House and to mark the completion of the St Anne’s Ward refurbishment.
Calvary Riverina Hospital General Manager Michael Morris reflected on O’Connor House’s importance over the past 82 years and the role it had in providing care to the patients who spent time there.
“O’Connor House was named after Mother Boniface O’Connor, one of the Sisters of the Little Company of Mary and our hospital’s Mother Superior from 1941 till her death in 1946,” Mr Morris said.
“While it is always difficult to remove a well recognised building that reflects our past, it is a necessary step in carrying on the work of the Sisters of the Little Company of Mary, which is to provide the care that meets the needs of our community.
“We will progress through the master planning process in partnership with our staff and visiting medical officers this year, which will include identifying how we repurpose this area of O’Connor House, with the aim of lodging a development application later this year.
“This demolition is the first step in Calvary’s commitment to contemporise our infrastructure here at Calvary Riverina to ensure we can meet the future health needs of our community.
“Ultimately, our goal is to establish a Calvary Riverina Hospital with all healthcare services physically connected on one site.”
Calvary’s learning and development officer, Jane Phillips, said knowing that O’Connor House was being demolished was bittersweet.
“When I was studying at CSU, I actually did my first placement at O’Connor House,” she said.
“It’s a strange feeling knowing it’s going to be demolished.
“On one hand, there’s obviously a lot of memories, but I’m also excited to see what will happen after this with the masterplan.
“Obviously, the new infrastructure that they plan on building where the O’Connor site is is exciting and will go a long way in enticing more staff to come work at the hospital.”
O’Connor House’s demolition will begin in the coming weeks and is expected to be completed by mid-July.
