From the Archives

St Martin’s Hospital

In 2022 St Martin’s War Memorial Hospital celebrates their centenary. Over 100 years ago the Queensland community came together to raise funds to build a fitting memorial to those who had fought in World War 1.

This November, a celebration will be held recognising 100 years since the opening of St Martin’s War Memorial Hospital, with a gathering and sharing of stories associated with the original hospital and with the building it has become - St Martin’s House.

In 1922, The Sisters of the Sacred Advent (SSA) took on the management of the newly opened St Martin’s Hospital, previously having run the Pyrmont Hospital on the same site. Pyrmont was relocated to Wickham Terrace temporarily so that the St Martin’s could be constructed. Sister Caroline, Founder of the SSA had seen health and welfare, education and pastoral care for women as key aspects of the SSA mission. Pyrmont and then St Martin’s hospitals were the opportunity for the SSA to become directly involved with hospital work.

Sister Faith was the first of the SSA sisters to work professionally as a nurse starting at Pyrmont and then taking over as Matron of St Martin’s in 1926. The SSA ran St Martin’s until it closed in 1971. Val Donovan recalled that, “It was a happy hospital with a good rapport between the doctors, nurses and SSA” (Donovan, Val. 1995 St Martin’s Hospital – a History).

Our Old Girls might recall Sisters who had a long association with St Martin’s including Sister Joan (Mother Superior 1976 – 1982) and Sister Dorothy. Sister Julian also worked as the housekeeper and Sister Elisabeth worked there in 1949 after her office as Mother Superior.

Lyn Nicholson (1965) shared some of her memories: “Nursing staff wore a cornflower blue long-sleeved cotton dress with a lightly starched white apron over the top as their uniform. The dress had white detachable collars, not unlike the St Aidan’s School uniform collar. The uniform was completed with a white cap covering most of the hair, brown stockings and lace up brown shoes.

On Sunday, the junior nurse’s job was to clean the door handles and brass plaques in every room. There was never any overtime pay at St Martin’s, staff just stayed until everything was done.”

Lesley Pearce (1943) remembers her father (Clifford Hughes) was a patient at St Martin’s Hospital for a gall bladder operation. He was a Returned Serviceman after WWI, having served in the Light Horse Brigade. Sister Elisabeth was working at St Martin’s at the time and Lesley remembers him saying that he would spend time talking with Sister Elisabeth, their conversations being spoken in Latin.

If you have a story or memories about St Martin’s you would like to share for their centenary celebration, we would love to hear from you. Please contact Wendy Biggs: w.biggs@staidans.qld.edu.au