DANDENONG Hospital has celebrated its 70th birthday with a tribute to its humble beginnings.
More than 100 past and present staff and Aboriginal community members met last month and unveiled a plaque acknowledging the Wurundjeri people, the traditional custodians of the land on which Dandenong stands, following a traditional welcome by senior elder Aunty Pat Ockwell and a smoking ceremony to cleanse those present.
The group then looked through historical documents and displays and heard from Dandenong and District Aborigines Co-operative chair Margaret Gardiner, co-operative chief executive Andrew Gardiner, hospital chief executive Shelly Park, Academic Surgical Unit director Professor Bruce Waxman and operations and nursing director Karlene Willcocks.
Guests heard about how the hospital evolved from a community hospital to the modern service it is today.
Professor Waxman’s association with the hospital stretches back to 1979 when he started as a trainee.
He spoke about a story in the now-defunct Dandenong Advertiser that said “Wake up Dandenong. If Frankston can have a Community Hospital, so can Dandenong”.
The journalist responsible was Robert Swords, and he inspired the community to follow his wake up call.
Through fund-raising and government funding, the first patients were admitted to the 34-bed Dandenong Hospital in 1942.
Its expansion over the years has seen it become part of Southern Health and a modern, acute care hospital.
