8 page booklet giving a brief history of Fairffield Hospital from 1904-1954. It includes a Souvenir 'Programme of Golden Jubilee Celebrations' held on 9th October 1954, and some imagesfairfield hospital, hospitals victoria history, nmit

St. Leonards, N.S.W. : Allen & Unwin, 1994 xiii, 313 p. : ill., ports. ; 24 cm. non-fictionTraces the story of the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital from its creation in 1947 as an institution to cater exclusively to the needs of ex-service personnel. Due to this limited ambit, despite its achievements and its status as a teaching hospital, both hospital and staff have had to battle for recognition from the general medical community.repatriation general hospital (heidelberg, veterans' hospitals -- victoria -- heidelberg -- history., teaching hospitals -- victoria -- heidelberg -- history.

Paperback book, with red cover. Tile and authors name on front cover and spine. Coloured photo of stained glass widow in Alfred Hospital chapel on front cover. Photos on back cover of author, and sculptures that now stand on the site of Coronado.non-fictionA history of nurse training at the Alfred Hospital. based on oral history, diaries, letters and papers written by nurses.alfred hospital, nursing history, ahnl, hospitals-victoria-history

Illustrated book with dust jacket. Book has dark blue cover, with title and author's name printed in gilt ink on spine. Dust jacket has a coloured painting by Brian Dunlop, depicting two nurses standing either side of a patient in bed. Title (red and blue ink) and authors name (red ink) are superimposed on front cover and spine.non-fictionA history of Williamstown Hospital, from the first citizens meeting held in 1889 identifying the need for a local hospital, the hospitals opening with six beds in 1894, up until 1991.williamstown hospital, hospitals-victoria-history, nurses, nursing, medical services

Hardcover is dark blue, with title, author and publisher printed in gold on spine. Dust jacket has light grey background on front and spine. Title and author in black print on front and spine. Front cover also has three photos. Back cover has white background with phot of hospital badge. Book includes 144 illustrations.non-fictionA history of Ballarat Base Hospital from the 1850's to the 1980'sballarat, ballarat base hospital - history, hospitals - victoria - history

Illustrated book with dust jacket. Book is bound in black material, with title, author's and publisher's name printed in silver ink on spine. Dust jacket has background of mid-blue with narrow re borders top and bottom. Title in red, silver and black ink, authors name in white print on front and spine. Also on front is an oval shaped colour photo of the hospital. On the back cover is an image of the hospital logo and motto translation in white print.non-fictionFounded as a religious hospital by the Sisters of Charity in 1893, St Vincent's has become a distinctive part of Melbourne life. 'Ways of a Hospital" offers an engrossing look at the development and the culture of the hospital and it's place in the social history of the city.st vincent's hospital melbourne, hospitals-victoria-history, medical services, nurses

Hardcover book bound in red, with tile and author's name printed in gold on spine. Dust jacket has an ochre coloured background, title and authors name on front cover and spine. Also on front cover is a copy of black and white photograph: young patients 'well on the way to recovery' in the 1930's (Fairfield Hospital Archives, Austin Hospital Melbourne). Book contains many illustrations.non-fictionA record of the work and achievement of Fairfield hospital in the context of Australian developments in medicine and health. The story of Fairfield Hospital is central to the story of infectious diseases in Victoria. Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital opened in 1904 as a fever hospital, later becoming one of the world's foremost centres for the treatment of infectious diseases, especially HIV/AIDS.fairfield hospital (melbourne-vic)-history, hospitals-victoria-history, communicable diseases

Illustrated booklet with white cover. Title and compilers name in black ink on front cover. Also on the front cover is a reproduction of a black and white photograph of nursing staff taken in 1958, as well as the two 'twin' gum trees which mark the site of the memorial rock in the hospital grounds where a number of plaques are located, in sepia/pink ink. The hospital logo of stylized black and white cross on a mauve background are on the front and back cover.non-fictionHistory of the Leongatha Memorial Hospital (formerly known as the Woorayl District Memorial Hospital) from the time one of two private hospitals in Leongatha closed in 1942, and a bush nursing hospital took over the premises. The need for a bigger hospital was recognized and new hospital opened in 1958. The booklet covers development of the hospital up to 2008.leongatha memorial hospital, woorayl district hospital, hospitals-victoria-history, leongatha

Illustrated book with dust jacket. Hardcover is bound in red with gilt printing on front (Images of PANCH) and spine (full title and author's name). Dustjacket has a white background, title and author's name on front and spine. Also on front is an aerial photograph of PANCH. On the back cover is the hospital's coat of arms and the words 'Preston and Northcote Community Hospital'.non-fictionA history of the Preston and Northcote Community Hospital, from the initial proposal in 1941 that a hospital be built in Preston, the official opening of the hospital in 1960, until it's closure in1998.preston and northcote community hospital, hospitals-victoria-history, preaton, panch

Illustrated book. Multicolour front cover with title and authors name, as well as illustration (black and white photo) of a 'receiving" window, where fathers or other visitors could view a newborn. Nurse and man standing on one side and nurse holding a baby on the other. Title, authors name and publishers mark in white print on gold coloured spine. The back cover has a cream background with a summary of the book printed on it. There are also three photos of the hospitals three homes: St David's Church Hall, Mint Place and Lonsdale St.non-fictionA history of the Queen Victoria hospital. In 1896 eleven female doctors led by Constance Stone opened the Victoria hospital for women and children. After three different city locations, it ceased to exist as a separate entity in 1987, when amalgamation saw it form part of the Monash Medical Centre in Clayton.queen victoria hospital (melbourne), queen victoria memorial hospital (melbourne), queen victoria medical centre(melbourne), monash medical centre, hospitals-victoria -history

Illustrated book with dustjacket, book is bound in dark blue, with title and authors name printed in silver on spine. Dust jacket has a dark blue background with the title and author printed in white on the front. Also on the front is the RCH coat of arms printed in white.non-fictionHistory of the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, from its foundation in 1870 until 1970.royal children's hospital (melbourne), hospitals-victoria-history

Illustrated book with orange toned photograph of Miss Jane Bell (Lady Superintendent 1910-1934) with her nursing staff on retirement in 1934, with handwriting overlay on cover. Title and author's name appear in white print on front cover and spine. Hospital crest on base of spine.non-fictionThe story starts in the 1840's when Melbourne was a small settlement, and funds were raised to care for the sick and poor and interweaves the theme of nursing with the history of Melbourne and Victoria over more than 150 years. It also includes an appendix of all nurses who graduated (RMH and MSN - Melbourne School of Nursing) in the formal training years of 1890-1993.royal melbourne hospital-history, royal melbourne hospital-nursing-history, nursing-victoria-history, hospitals-victoria -history, melbourne school of nursing-history

Illustrated book with dustjacket. Book is bound in dark blue fabric with hospital crest on front in gilt. title and publisher's mark printed in gilt on spinenon-fictionHistory of the Royal Melbourne Hospital, the first public hospital in Victoria, from its opening in 1848 in Lonsdale St up to 1998, contains over 100 historical photographs and illustrations.royal melbourne hospital-history, hospitals-victoria-history

Book has black and white photo of "Cav and Pag" in a rooftop performance, Melbourne Hospital, Lonsdale Street 1928 on front cover. On the back cover is a black and white photo "fresh air for all"-patients on the balconies of the Lonsdale Street hospital in1916. These photos have white borders. Also on front cover is the hospital crest prior to 1935. There is 46mm wide maroon coloured band between two narrow gilt stripes near bottom of cover. On this band, title is printed in white and gilt in, on front cover, on back cover synopsis of book is printed in white ink. Title is also printed in gilt ink on white coloured spine. Approximately 100 photos from RMH Archives within.non-fictionThe story of nursing at the Royal Melbourne Hospital as told in pictures. Comprising of 100 annotated photographs from the RMH Archives, the images give a rare glimpse of the places and people that marked the learning experience and lives of thousands of young nurses who graduated from the RMH nursing school.royal melbourne hospital-nursing-history, royal melbourne hospital-history, nurses-victoria-history, hospitals - victoria - history

Illustrated book with dust jacket. Book is bound in dark blue, with abbreviated title, author's surname, and publishers mark printed in gilt on spine. Dust jacket has a dark blue background, full title and author's name printed in multicolour on front. Abbreviated title, author's surname and publishers mark in multicolour print on spine.An absorbing social history of women's health seen through the workings of Australia's oldest women's hospital: the Royal Women's Hospital, from 1856-1996.royal women's hospital-melbourne-history, women's health, obstetrics and gynacology, hospitals-victoria-history, nursing

Booklet with black and white photograph of Miss jane Bell (Lady Superintendent 1910-1934) with her nursing staff on retirement in 1934, with handwriting overlay on front cover. Title and authors name in white print on front.non-fictionIndex for book - being there: nursing at 'The Melbourne' Victoria's first Hospitalroyal melbourne hospital-nursing-history, hospitals - victoria - history

Sepia photograph of soldiers and nurses on front and back cover. Portrait of the author, Bruce Ford on back cover also, Title on front cover and spine in black print on orange background. Authors name in white print on black background on front cover. Authors name in black print on spine. Donation sticker also on front cover. Contains numerous black and white illustrations.non-fictionA history of Caulfield General Medical Centre, including the No 11 Army General Hospital/Caulfield Rehabilitation Hospital and the Royal Southern Memorial Hospital adapting rehabilitation to changing conditions of two World Wars, polio outbreaks to care of the elderly and accident victims.australia army general hospital 11th, caulfield general medical centre - history, caulfield hospital - history, royal southern memorial hospital - history, world war 1914-1918 - medical care - victoria, world war 1939 -1945 - medical care - victoria, soldiers - rehabilitation - victoria, military hospitals - victoria - history, artificial limb factory, hospitals - rehabilitation services - australia

Illustrated book. On front cover is a black and white photograph of the 1905 building c.1914, it shows the east side of the building with nurses on the balconies. Title in gold and white print on a blue rectangular background superimposed on this photo, as are the authors names in white print. On the spine in white print on a brown background are the abbreviated title, author's surname and publisher's name. On the back cover is a coloured photo of a group of nurses outside hospital entrance c.2004 on brown background.non-fictionThis a comprehensive history of nursing at Melbourne's St Vincent's Hospital. It documents the transformation of nursing practice and education since the hospital's opening in 1893.st vincent's hospital melbourne, nurses, nursing, hospitals-victoria-history

Published to celebrate centenary of the Alfred Hospital Melbourne in 1970Of significance to the AHNL as it is a history of the Alfred HospitalStapled illustrated booklet with white cover, title in black print below Alfred Hospital logo [red and black print]. Conatis typed programme on yellow paperPrevious catalogue number written in black print at top right of front cover and programmealfred hospital (melbourne)-history, hospitals - victoria - history

[Parkville, Vic.] : Royal Melbourne Hospital Graduate Nurses Association, 2005 xii, 572 p. : ill., facsims., plan, ports. ; 25 cm. non-fictionroyal melbourne hospital -- history., nursing -- victoria -- melbourne -- history., hospitals -- victoria -- melbourne -- history.

Florence Alice Gonnan was born on the 13th of June 1917 in Yackandandah, Victoria, the youngest of six children. Her father worked in the gold mines, bringing in wood. Florence recalls her Grandfather being in charge of turning on the water for the mines in Yackandandah. Florence worked as a nurse in the Yackandandah hospital, before moving to Beechworth in 1954 when her husband was employed at the Beechworth Mental Hospital. Florence had eight children. Her husband was very ill, having surgery to remove part of his stomach at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, and struggled to gain income for the family. This oral history recording was part of a project conducted by Jennifer Williams in the year 2000 to capture the everyday life and struggles in Beechworth during the twentieth century. This project involved recording seventy oral histories on cassette tapes of local Beechworth residents which were then published in a book titled: Listen to what they say: voices of twentieth century Beechworth. These cassette tapes were digitised in July 2021 with funds made available by the Friends of the Burke.Florence Alice Gonnan provides an account of life in Yackandandah from 1917 to 1954, and in Beechworth from 1954 to 2000. She provides descriptions of daily living, and how a big family with eight children survived without much income. This is a digital copy of a recording that was originally captured on a cassette tape. The cassette tape is black with a horizontal white strip and is currently stored in a clear flat plastic rectangular container. It holds up 40 minutes of recordings on each side.listen to what they say, beechworth, oral history, burke museum, gonnan, florence alice gonnan, yackandandah

Joyce Snow was born in Avenel and came to Beechworth at the age of twenty-three. She grew up at Bundarta, a place just out of Shepparton. Her father was a soldier who was part of the 37th Battallion while her mother's family were some of the pioneers of Beechworth--the Duracks. She finished school at about thirteen years old, did a correspondence course, and when she was old enough, she went training for nursing. Joyce was a trained nurse at the old Mooroopna Base, Hospital. She working at a Hospital in Shepparton when Manpower sent her to Beechworth. She arrived at Beechworth in 1943 at a train in Wangaratta. She had been a nurse in Beechworth for more than seven years. She got married in Beechworth and had three children, two girls and one boy. By the time of her third child, she studied a one year supplementary course on Psychy at May Day. Joyce had nursed prisoners of the First World War. She shared about the differences of medical practice back then in comparison to now. This oral history recording was part of a project conducted by Jennifer Williams in the year 2000 to capture the everyday life and struggles in Beechworth during the twentieth century. This project involved recording seventy oral histories on cassette tapes of local Beechworth residents which were then published in a book titled: Listen to what they say: voices of twentieth century Beechworth. These cassette tapes were digitised in July 2021 with funds made available by the Friends of the Burke.Joyce Snow's account of her life in the early 20th century is historically and socially significant to the cultural heritage of the region. She gave information about the settlements and life of the prisoners of First World War, the early forms of entertainment, education system and societal roles. She also mentioned changes in employment and migrant communities. This oral history account is socially and historically significant as these accounts provide a unique insight into the day-to-day life of the town's residents during the 20th century, many of which will have now been lost if they had not been preserved.This is a digital copy of a recording that was originally captured on a cassette tape. The cassette tape is black with a horizontal white strip and is currently stored in a clear flat plastic rectangular container. It holds up 40 minutes of recordings on each side.Joyce Snowburke museum, beechworth, hospital, oral history, nursing, nurse, first world war, prisoners of war, tatatura, moonrapna, peritontitis, doctors, tuck shops, largactil, rock films, victoria park, kings in grass castle, durack, duracks, glory box, d'oylies

Chiltern Pharmacy, now called Dow's Pharmacy, opened in 1859 at a time when the township of Chiltern was experiencing a second-wave gold rush that redistributed the balance of commercial and social activity in the region. David McEwan, father of Prime Minister John McEwan, was one of the first pharmacists practicing at the business. It was purchased in 1929 by pharmacist Hilda Dow who ran the business with her apprentice and husband, Roy Dow, until they closed the business in 1968. In 1988, after founding the North East branch of the National Trust, the Dows donated the premises with its entire fittings and stock. Some of the more than 4,000 items in stock at the time of closure in 1968 were present in the shop when the Dows took charge in 1929 and date to the late Nineteenth Century (around the time this image was taken). Hilda Dow (nee Grey) was born in 1897, the daughter of a police magistrate. She enrolled to study at the Victorian College of Pharmacy in 1919 and worked initially for Poynton's Pharmacy in Morwell before purchasing the Chiltern Pharmacy that was later named after her. She was a member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Victoria, a hospital committee and Board, the Red Cross and the Infant Welfare Association and held office for the Chiltern branch of the Country Women's Association. Her sister Helene Grey received an OBE for her work as Lady Superintendent of the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Although Hilda Dow was not Australia's first female pharmacist (this was Caroline Copp in 1880) the preservation of the pharmacy and the stories it presents sheds light on the general issue of recognition for female medical pioneers in Australia. Lantern slides, sometimes called 'magic lantern' slides, are glass plates on which an image has been secured for the purpose of projection. Glass slides were etched or hand-painted for this purpose from the Eighteenth Century but the process became more popular and accessible to the public with the development of photographic-emulsion slides used with a 'Magic Lantern' device in the mid-Nineteenth Century. Photographic lantern slides comprise a double-negative emulsion layer (forming a positive image) between thin glass plates that are bound together. A number of processes existed to form and bind the emulsion layer to the base plate, including the albumen, wet plate collodion, gelatine dry plate and woodburytype techniques. Lantern slides and magic lantern technologies are seen as foundational precursors to the development of modern photography and film-making techniques.This image is significant as it provides insight into social and commercial infrastructure available in the North-East region of Victoria in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. The business pictured is also associated with a Prime Minister of Victoria and some of Victoria's first female medical and pharmaceutical practitioners. Thin translucent sheet of glass with a circular image printed on the front and framed in a black backing. It is held together by metals strips to secure the edges of the slide.burke museum, beechworth, lantern slide, slide, glass slide, plate, burke museum collection, photograph, monochrome, hilda dow, roy dow, chiltern pharmacy, dow's pharmacy, chiltern, indigo shire, north east victoria, history of pharmacies, women in pharmacy, women in medicine, women in business, david mcewan, john mcewan, national trust, national trust victoria, north-east victoria national trust, heritage buildings, industrial heritage, helene grey, pharmaceutical society of victoria, victorian college of pharmacy, country women's association, caroline copp, royal melbourne hospital, red cross, infant welfare association

The Rose Stereograph Company first began producing postcards, identified as the 'P' series (like this particular example) in 1913 and continued in this business until 1967 after which they switched to machine manufactured colour postcards printed by an external company. These were produced by Victorian-era photographer George Rose (1861-1942) often reputed as one of the best photographers in Australia during the later 19th Century and early 20th Century. Rose was born in 1861 in Clunes and began his photography business in 1880 when he founded the Rose Stereograph Company. He later switched to producing postcards after stereographs lost popularity in the early 1920s. The Mayday Hills Hospital was one of these locations photographed by George Rose and published as a postcard. Beechworth's Mayday Hills was chosen as the site of Victoria's newest asylum, at the time, due to the landscape and altitude. The hilltop atmosphere and the native fauna, it was argued, would assist in the cure of the patients kept at the hospital (Wood 1985, 122). The positioning of the hospital had a beneficial effect on the rural town. A pamphlet published by James Ingram and Son (1849) reveal that famous landmarks in Beechworth which included the Post Office, Gaol, Courthouse and Asylum "demonstrate the appreciation of Beechworth by the Government not only as as important district center, but also as a site unrivaled as a sanitarium". There were other locations in contention at the time, but ultimately Beechworth was chosen (Craig 2000,33). Prior to the creation of the Asylum in Beechworth, those charged with having mental illnesses or, as it was termed, "insanity" were unable to be properly cared for in the Gaol (which is where they were often sent). John Buckley Castieau wrote, in 1861 for the Ovens and Murray Advertiser, that the Gaol was unable to properly care for those classified then as "insane" but that they would endeavor to treat them above the other inmates (which he notes is not always the case in other establishments). Castieau wrote this in favour of supporting the building of the Mayday Hills Hospital in Beechworth. It was stated that at the time the Mayday Hills Hospital was built, there were 83 prisoners kept in the Gaol who were to be rehoused to the Hospital on the grounds of "insanity". The classification as someone as "insane", in this period of time is a reflection on the inability to cure and understand illnesses of the mind during the mid to late 1800s. Opening on the 24th of October 1867, the Mayday Hills Hospital was originally named the "Ovens Lunatic Asylum", a title which is very much a product of its time. Whilst controversial, changes to the name is part of the history of the Hospital and can provide much insight into the understanding of mental illness throughout history and the use/disuse of this term provides information into the reception/changing opinions of mental illness in society. The Hospital would later become known as the "Mayday Hills Asylum" and/or "Mayday Hills Hospital" with the latter being the most commonly used title. An article in the Ovens and Murray Advertiser notes that on the 7th of March 1865, the foundation stone of the Hospital was laid (it would officially open in 1867) and that it was such a moment of accomplishment and joy for Beechworth that a letter to the editor even suggested that there should be a holiday dedicated to the day the foundation stone as laid. This reveals an extent to which the townspeople of early Beechworth valued the construction of the Hospital in their town. It provided the town with a sense of prestige and honour. At first glance, the remains of the Mayday Hills Hospital in Beechworth, Victoria, inspire tragedy, trauma and beauty. The buildings themselves, with their Italianate style Renaissance architecture designed by J.J. Clark (Craig 2000, 49 & Smith 2016, 203) reflect a bygone period of European and Australian history. The gardens provide a sense of tranquility and beauty. The experience of those within these walls remains a valuable area of study to provide a more complete understanding. This particular hospital is considered the fourth of its like and one of three identified as the largest of their kind. The Mayday Hills Hospital is a sister to the Kew and Ararat Asylums in Melbourne which are both located in relative proximity. Understanding the role of the Mayday Hills Hospital in Beechworth history is integral to understanding the development of the goldfields town, but also for providing important information as to the history of caring for, and the reception of, mental illnesses in Australian and wider European history. Mayday Hills provides a case study which can be researched through oral history, an analysis of the grounds/buildings and through images like this postcard which portray the structure in a highly deliberate manner. Images like this depict the strong façade of the Hospital and provide a glimpse into the tranquility of the gardens. This has been done deliberately to provide a sense of comfort and healing about the building to those looking from the outside. Further research into the importance of the Hospital in Beechworth and it's connection to the town will be supported through images like these kept in the Mayday Hills photo album in the collection of the Burke Museum.Pale sepia toned rectangular postcard printed on matte card.Obverse: THE ROSE SERIES P. 4689 / COPYRIGHT / ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES, MENTAL HOSPITAL, BEECHWORTH, VIC / Reverse: Published by the Rose Stereograph Co. / Armadale, Victoria / POST CARD / THE "ROSE" SERIES / DE LUXE / A REAL PHOTOGRAPH / PRODUCED IN AUSTRALIA /mayday hills, asylum, mental hospital, hospital, beechworth

This photograph was captured on an undisclosed date and by an unidentified photographer. It was printed in colour through the company AGFA which is a Belgian-German Multinational Corporation. This business prints, develops, manufactures and distributes digital imaging products, software and systems. It was founded in 1967 and continues to operate today. Beechworth's Mayday Hills was chosen as the site of Victoria's newest asylum, at the time, due to the landscape and altitude. The hilltop atmosphere and the native fauna, it was argued, would assist in the cure of the patients kept at the hospital (Wood 1985, 122). The positioning of the hospital had a beneficial effect on the rural town. A pamphlet published by James Ingram and Son (1849) reveal that famous landmarks in Beechworth which included the Post Office, Gaol, Courthouse and Asylum "demonstrate the appreciation of Beechworth by the Government not only as as important district center, but also as a site unrivaled as a sanitarium". There were other locations in contention at the time, but ultimately Beechworth was chosen (Craig 2000, 33). Prior to the creation of the Asylum in Beechworth, those charged with having mental illnesses or, as it was termed, "insanity" were unable to be properly cared for in the Gaol (which is where they were often sent). John Buckley Castieau wrote, in 1861 for the Ovens and Murray Advertiser, that the Gaol was unable to properly care for those classified then as "insane" but that they would endeavor to treat them above the other inmates (which he notes is not always the case in other establishments). Castieau wrote this in favour of supporting the building of the Mayday Hills Hospital in Beechworth. It was stated that at the time the Mayday Hills Hospital was built, there were 83 prisoners kept in the Gaol who were to be rehoused to the Hospital on the grounds of "insanity". The classification as someone as "insane", in this period of time is a reflection on the inability to cure and understand illnesses of the mind during the mid to late 1800s. Opening on the 24th of October 1867, the Mayday Hills Hospital was originally named the "Ovens Lunatic Asylum", a title which is very much a product of its time. Whilst controversial, changes to the name is part of the history of the Hospital and can provide much insight into the understanding of mental illness throughout history and the use/disuse of this term provides information into the reception/changing opinions of mental illness in society. The Hospital would later become known as the "Mayday Hills Asylum" and/or "Mayday Hills Hospital" with the latter being the most commonly used title. An article in the Ovens and Murray Advertiser notes that on the 7th of March 1865, the foundation stone of the Hospital was laid (it would officially open in 1867) and that it was such a moment of accomplishment and joy for Beechworth that a letter to the editor even suggested that there should be a holiday dedicated to the day the foundation stone as laid. This reveals an extent to which the townspeople of early Beechworth valued the construction of the Hospital in their town. It provided the town with a sense of prestige and honour.At first glance, the remains of the Mayday Hills Hospital in Beechworth, Victoria, inspire tragedy, trauma and beauty. The buildings themselves, with their Italianate style Renaissance architecture designed by J.J. Clark (Craig 2000, 49 & Smith 2016, 203) reflect a bygone period of European and Australian history. The gardens provide a sense of tranquility and beauty. The experience of those within these walls remains a valuable area of study to provide a more complete understanding. This particular hospital is considered the fourth of its like and one of three identified as the largest of their kind. The Mayday Hills Hospital is a sister to the Kew and Ararat Asylums in Melbourne which are both located in relative proximity. Understanding the role of the Mayday Hills Hospital in Beechworth history is integral to understanding the development of the goldfields town, but also for providing important information as to the history of caring for, and the reception of, mental illnesses in Australian and wider European history. Mayday Hills provides a case study which can be researched through oral history, an analysis of the grounds/buildings and through images like this postcard which portray the structure in a highly deliberate manner. Images like this depict the strong façade of the Hospital and provide a glimpse into the tranquility of the gardens. This has been done deliberately to provide a sense of comfort and healing about the building to those looking from the outside. Further research into the importance of the Hospital in Beechworth and it's connection to the town will be supported through images like these kept in the Mayday Hills photo album in the collection of the Burke Museum.Coloured rectangular photograph printed on gloss photographic paper.Reverse: AGFAbeechworth, mayday hills, mayday hills asylum, mental health, history of mental health, asylum, 1860s, gold town, north-east victoria, kew asylum, ararat asylum

This postcard contains a depiction of the Mayday Hills Hospital in Beechworth, Victoria from the direction of Farm Hill, circa 1930. It was designed by C.F.Falk in Beechworth and printed in Saxony which is a landlocked state of Germany which borders the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria and the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. The depiction is a painting of the Mayday Hill Hospital which portrays the extensive buildings an HaHa wall (many of which have not survived to the present day). It provides a unique opportunity to reconstruct this historical site as it may have looked in approximately 1930. Beechworth's Mayday Hills was chosen as the site of Victoria's newest asylum, at the time, due to the landscape and altitude. The hilltop atmosphere and the native fauna, it was argued, would assist in the cure of the patients kept at the hospital (Wood 1985, 122). The positioning of the hospital had a beneficial effect on the rural town. A pamphlet published by James Ingram and Son (1849) reveal that famous landmarks in Beechworth which included the Post Office, Gaol, Courthouse and Asylum "demonstrate the appreciation of Beechworth by the Government not only as as important district center, but also as a site unrivaled as a sanitarium". There were other locations in contention at the time, but ultimately Beechworth was chosen (Craig 2000, 33). The extent of buildings displayed in this postcard helps convey the imposing and enormity of the structure before decommission. Prior to the creation of the Asylum in Beechworth, those charged with having mental illnesses or, as it was termed, "insanity" were unable to be properly cared for in the Gaol (which is where they were often sent). John Buckley Castieau wrote, in 1861 for the Ovens and Murray Advertiser, that the Gaol was unable to properly care for those classified then as "insane" but that they would endeavor to treat them above the other inmates (which he notes is not always the case in other establishments). Castieau wrote this in favour of supporting the building of the Mayday Hills Hospital in Beechworth. It was stated that at the time the Mayday Hills Hospital was built, there were 83 prisoners kept in the Gaol who were to be rehoused to the Hospital on the grounds of "insanity". The classification as someone as "insane", in this period of time is a reflection on the inability to cure and understand illnesses of the mind during the mid to late 1800s. The title on the obverse of this photograph as "Asylum for Insane, Beechworth" reflects a bygone era and attitude to mental health. Beechworth's Mayday Hills was chosen as the site of Victoria's newest asylum, at the time, due to the landscape and altitude. Opening on the 24th of October 1867, the Mayday Hills Hospital was originally named the "Ovens Lunatic Asylum", a title which is very much a product of its time. Whilst controversial, changes to the name is part of the history of the Hospital and can provide much insight into the understanding of mental illness throughout history and the use/disuse of this term provides information into the reception/changing opinions of mental illness in society. The Hospital would later become known as the "Mayday Hills Asylum" and/or "Mayday Hills Hospital" with the latter being the most commonly used title. An article in the Ovens and Murray Advertiser notes that on the 7th of March 1865, the foundation stone of the Hospital was laid (it would officially open in 1867) and that it was such a moment of accomplishment and joy for Beechworth that a letter to the editor even suggested that there should be a holiday dedicated to the day the foundation stone as laid. This reveals an extent to which the townspeople of early Beechworth valued the construction of the Hospital in their town. It provided the town with a sense of prestige and honour.At first glance, the remains of the Mayday Hills Hospital in Beechworth, Victoria, inspire tragedy, trauma and beauty. The buildings themselves, with their Italianate style Renaissance architecture designed by J.J. Clark (Craig 2000, 49 & Smith 2016, 203) reflect a bygone period of European and Australian history. The gardens provide a sense of tranquility and beauty. The experience of those within these walls remains a valuable area of study to provide a more complete understanding. This particular hospital is considered the fourth of its like and one of three identified as the largest of their kind. The Mayday Hills Hospital is a sister to the Kew and Ararat Asylums in Melbourne which are both located in relative proximity. Understanding the role of the Mayday Hills Hospital in Beechworth history is integral to understanding the development of the goldfields town, but also for providing important information as to the history of caring for, and the reception of, mental illnesses in Australian and wider European history. Mayday Hills provides a case study which can be researched through oral history, an analysis of the grounds/buildings and through images like this postcard which portray the structure in a highly deliberate manner. Images like this depict the strong façade of the Hospital and provide a glimpse into the tranquility of the gardens. This has been done deliberately to provide a sense of comfort and healing about the building to those looking from the outside. Further research into the importance of the Hospital in Beechworth and it's connection to the town will be supported through images like these kept in the Mayday Hills photo album in the collection of the Burke Museum.Colour rectangular postcard printed on cardObverse: Asylum for Insane, Beechworth. / Reverse: C.F. Faulk, Beechworth. Printed in Saxony. POST CARD / ADDRESS ONLY / AFFIX / STAMP / B 2298 / 1997.2457 /mental hospital, insane asylum, mayday hills mental hospital, beechworth, mayday hills, asylum, gold town, north-east victoria, ararat asylum, kew asylum