By Bonny Burrows
Thursday 8 March was St John of God Feast Day, so it was only fitting that Berwick’s newest hospital, named in the saint’s honour, was officially opened that same day.
Quite the crowd of hospital staff, community leaders and distinguished guests gathered at the Kangan Drive facility for the occasion, seven weeks after the hospital’s first patients walked through its doors.
Bishop of Sale Reverend Patrick O’Regan was on hand to formally bless the new $120 million premises, while the hospital’s original Gibb Street facility’s founding family, the Langmores, were also in attendance to mark the milestone.
The ceremony included the presentation of symbolic items documenting St John of God Berwick Health Care’s journey over the past 100-plus years, including a golden shovel of which the first sod was turned, architect drawings and a hard hat.
An official plaque was also unveiled to commemorate the official opening.
“These symbols and this celebrate is really important in ensuring that we continue to pay tribute to the legacy that is St John of God Berwick Hospital,” hospital CEO Lisa Norman said.
“What started out as a tiny community hospital staffed by one medical professional has well and truly grown into a contemporary healthcare facility with over 600 caregivers that can adequately serve this ever-growing region of Victoria now and into the future.”
St John of God Feast Day is a significant event on the Catholic calendar that celebrates the life and origins of Joao Duarte Cidade, who was canonised in 1690 and later named St John of God, patron saint of hospitals, the sick, nurses, firefighters, alcoholics and booksellers.
