Our History
– 150 years of history at The Royal Children’s Hospital –
A concise and chronological record of the rich and diverse 150-year history of The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH).
Please feel free to scroll through all 150 years or easily filter information via categories or tags.
The historical images have been sourced from the RCH Archives and Collections, unless stated otherwise.
Images have been chosen to illustrate the subject matter and may not necessarily reflect the date of the event.
The RCH has produced such an immense amount of groundbreaking achievements and we cannot assume to have captured them all here.
Do you think an achievement, person, or event is missing? Please send your suggestion to: archives@rch.org.au. We hope you enjoy exploring!
1870
First Inpatients
December 1870
Six cots were established for the initial intake of inpatients.
1872
First Children’s Hospital Bazaar
The first of many community fundraising events, the bazaar raised over £2000.
1874
The First ‘Hospital Sunday’ Appeal
1879
John Jackson Appointed to the Role of Collector
The collector role was somewhat closer to hospital manager. Jackson proved an effective fundraiser and greatly expanded the hospital’s avenues for funding and subscriptions.
1881
Hospital Bazaar
£4000 were raised to pay off remaining debt from the purchase of the Redmond Barry property.
1894
Mary Guthrie
Guthrie became a member of the Committee of Management and played an active role at the hospital until 1931. During the early 1920s Guthrie was instrumental in establishing the Auxiliary service at the Children’s Hospital.
1900
Hospital Bazaar Raised Over £17,000
September 1st, 1900
The bazaar ran for three weeks and a souvenir book ‘Childhood in Bud and Blossom’ continued to generate income from sales long afterwards.
1922
First Auxiliaries Meetings Held
Committee members from Kew, Essendon, Toorak, Black Rock, St Kilda and Malvern orchestrated the first meetings.
1931
Launch of the Sporting Globe Carnival
The charity sports carnival continued annually until disrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War. Initially funds raised were shared with the Alfred Hospital, however from 1933 the event became dedicated to the Children’s Hospital and was a precursor for the Good Friday Appeal.
1935
Craft Hostel Designed for the Children’s Orthopaedic Hospital
A £4,500 donation by Lord Nuffield saw plans for a facility to teach vocational skills to disabled teenagers.
1940
The Children’s Orthopaedic Hospital Parent’s Association Auxiliary
Founded by the parents of long-term patients, this Auxiliary provided support in the way of fundraising and food donations.
Railway Employees Auxiliary
Jake Attrill, father of a patient, organised for around 5,000 of his railway colleagues to donate regularly straight from their pay cheque.
1942
Foundation of the Uncle Bobs Club
Alf Clarke, Clarrie Williams, Jock McAdam, and Ray Fisher were the founding members, inspired by a patient they knew at The Children's Orthopaedic Hospital.
First Good Friday Radio Appeal
April 3rd, 1942
Jim Blake suggested the idea of holding an all-day radio appeal. Under the direction of Sir Keith Murdoch, 3DB supplied a platform and The Herald and Weekly Times covered all expenses. They raised £8,310.
1948
Uncle Bobs Nurses Home Opened
1960
Record-breaking Fundraiser
A large fundraising appeal was held to raise money for the new Parkville hospital. The target was £400,000, with £500,000 raised. At the time it was the largest amount ever contributed in an appeal to a single charity in Australia.
1969
Opening of the Uncle Bobs Club Rehabilitation Centre, Chapman Street, North Melbourne
The Uncle Bobs club raised funds to refurbish the building for use as a rehabilitation centre.
The Pied Pipers
The Pied Pipers was formed by a young group of people who were inspired to fundraise for the hospital after participating in the Good Friday Appeal.
1986
Ronald McDonald House Opened on Gatehouse Street
1988
The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation Established
The RCH Foundation's first fundraising project was a special building appeal.
Image credit: Alvin Aquino
2005
Indonesian Tsunami Recovery
RCH International entered into an agreement with World Vision Australia to assist the Indonesian government in the recovery from the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.
2006
Inaugural Herald Sun / CityLink ‘Run for the Kids’
Raised more than $400,000 for the hospital.
Image credit: Alvin Aquino
2020
150th Anniversary Since Foundation
The hospital celebrates 150 years of great care for Victorian children.
Image credit: Alvin Aquino
