On Tuesday 24 February, hospital and community representatives commemorated the past and celebrated the future with the demolition of O’Connor House and the completion of St Anne’s Ward refurbishment works.

O’Connor House, as it has been known since 1978, has had a varied history since first built as a boiler house, laundry and nurses' quarters in 1944.

The building was only given its name when repurposed as a drug and alcohol service. In 2016, it was deemed unsuitable for use, and the building approved for demolition to make way for future master planning of the site.

Hospital and community members joined Calvary Riverina Hospital General Manager, Michael Morris, to an official farewell of the building, with a reminder of the past and a nod to the future of healthcare on the site.

“O’Connor House was named after Mother Boniface O’Connor, one of the Sisters of the Little Company of Mary and our hospital's Mother Superior from 1941 till her death in 1946,” Mr Morris said.

“While it is always difficult to remove a well-recognised building that reflects our past, it is a necessary step in carrying on the work of the Sisters of the Little Company of Mary to provide care that meets the needs of our community.”

"We will progress through the master planning process in partnership with our staff and visiting medical officers this year, which will include identifying how we repurpose this area of O'Connor House, with the aim to lodge a development application later this year."

"This demolition is the first step in Calvary's commitment to contemporise our infrastructure here at Calvary Riverina to ensure we can meet the future health needs of our community."

"Ultimately our goal is to establish a Calvary Riverina Hospital with all healthcare services physically connected on the one site."

Investing in modern, connected care

Tomorrow, the fencing will be erected to enable demolition works to be carried out by AGH Demolitions. These works are expected to be ongoing through to July.

At the same time, patients and staff have welcomed the completion of a $400,000 renovation of the 45-bed St Anne’s Ward. The upgrades included new flooring and painting, a modern nurse-call system, new televisions for each bed bay, new toilets in each ensuite and safety handrails to improve the patient and staff experience.

“We’re committed to building on the legacy of our ancestors, who made this hospital a reality, and modernising this medical and orthopaedic ward is a small step in ensuring our staff have a more appealing workplace and our patients have increased comforts complementing the high quality care delivered,” Mr Morris said.