Open & Closed: Carlton Moving Day, 1963
‘At precisely 7 a.m. on Sunday, January 20, the leader of a convoy of ambulances moved off from the old Royal Children’s Hospital, at Carlton, Melbourne, Australia. It bore the first of 70 young patients involved in the transfer to the great new hospital at Parkville – about a mile away. Exactly 70 minutes later the last patient was safely delivered and the move carried out with clockwork precision by hospital staff and the Victorian Civil Ambulance Association, was completed. Meanwhile the new casualty department was ‘open for business’ and within two hours two emergency operations had been performed. As if a major move – after a period of 86 years – were not enough to mark an epoch in the hospital’s history, preparations were in hand for the imminent visit of Her Majesty the Queen to open the hospital, of which she is Patron. It had not been anticipated that building would be finished before May but news of the Queen’s visit in February gave gratifying impetus to building progress. Newly installed hospital staff bore the racket of jack-hammers, saws and electric drills with equanimity. They regarded the intrusion as of minor consequence compared with the great advantages the new hospital offered over the old.’
– An extract from Moving a Hospital by John Payne (RCH Public Relations Officer). International Nursing Review, Vol 10, No.3, May/June 1963.
Related films:
Important People, Carlton Hospital
Film Title: Carlton Hospital Closure
Production Date: 1963
Location: The Royal Children’s Hospital; Carlton, Victoria
Material: 16mm colour film
Measurement: 7.01 minutes
Maker: The Royal Children’s Hospital
Rights: Film courtesy of The Royal Children’s Hospital
Accession Number: 2018.2461 A & 2018.2461 B (edited from these titles)
This film may have been edited to comply with privacy laws and ethics guidelines.
Any opinions, social attitudes and medical advice contained in this film reflect the society and medical practice accepted at the time the film was made. Attitudes, community standards, and medical opinions change over time with societal and medical advances. Please view this film with a historical perspective in mind, and be aware that any opinions, attitudes, and advice depicted are no longer representative of The Royal Children’s Hospital.