Speeches
Sunday, 30 March 2025
Centenary of Crystal Brook and District Hospital
It is a great pleasure to be here with you to commemorate the Centenary of the Crystal Book and District Hospital - a significant milestone by any measure.
I’m pleased to be joined today by my Honorary Aide de Camp, Flight Lieutenant David Russell, who completed part of his Registered Nursing training at the Crystal Brook and District Hospital in 1994.
We thank you all for the warm welcome.
As I came up the driveway, it was quite something to pass under the original archway which I understand has recently been replaced after restoration by the local Men’s Shed.
The distinctive facade is still here 100 years later, despite the many changes behind and around the original entrance.
Over that time, the hospital has evolved to serve the community and its changing needs.
Among the changes are the addition of the maternity wing in the 1930s, the theatre complex in use by the mid 1970’s, an increase in beds and wards, and the aged care upgrade in the early 2000s.
Crystal Brook Hospital was among the first in Australia to achieve Baby Friendly Health Initiative accreditation in 1998 and the first in rural SA to adopt a model of midwifery group practice in 2006.
Awards including the Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Business Award and South Australia York and Mid North WorkCover SA Health Award in 2014 have attested to your standing in the community.
And, in the context of community, the program linking the Roseview Aged Care residents with the nearby kindy brings joy to the young children and the young at heart.
Friends
It is clear that, throughout the past century, the pride that the local community has in its hospital has been constant.
I sense that today among the staff, volunteers, patients, and residents.
Country hospitals, while small, have a big impact on the community, indeed are at its heart.
The staff are known, the local general practitioners are known and there’s comfort in knowing care can be provided close to home.
The hospital remains as important for the community today as was 100 years ago.
Of course much can also be gained from sharing of resources or access to beds amongst regional hospitals and I understand all hospitals in this region work collaboratively to support patient care.
I thank the Yorke and Northern Local Health Network and the Southern Flinders Health Advisory Council for their oversight of the hospital.
I thank all those staff and volunteers who work directly or indirectly with the hospital – the GPs, nurses, midwives, aged care workers, emergency workers and volunteers.
I also acknowledge the dedication of the hospital auxiliary volunteers who diligently, and with heart, raise money for the hospital through raffles and cake stalls, selling daffodils on mother’s day and in other ways.
You also are generous with helping the hospital fulfill its wish list and finding funds for those small items that mean a lot, extra chairs, curtains, or items to brighten the aged care rooms.
Together you all make the hospital what it is.
Congratulations on your Centenary and I wish you all the best for the future.