Lister House expands
IN 1989, amid shifting regional health needs, the Lister House Partnership comprising Dr Alec Taylor, Dr Roger Key, Dr Graeme Jones, Dr Bruce Sterling, Dr John Pedrotti and Dr Paul O’Dwyer, prepared to return its growing patient services to Nixon Street. This marked a new chapter after nearly 50 years of dedicated general practice care at 157 Maude Street.
Following careful consideration of several locations, the partners purchased a block at 65 Nixon Street and built the new Lister House Medical Centre, a decision Dr Sterling described as “the best option at the time.”
Joined by Dr Jeneane Rae, Dr Krista Tavcar and bringing along young receptionist, Trish Harrington, the practice quickly outgrew its purpose-built premises.
“In our first year, business expanded by around 30 percent. We thought we had huge rooms, lots of space, but within 12 months, we were cramped again,” recalled Dr Sterling.
In the early 1990s, Doctors Ursula and Glen Russell joined Lister House as trainee registrars under the mentorship of Dr Graeme Jones. Recalling the cramped practice environment, Dr Ursula said,
“It was out of control in terms of rooms for doctors. Dr Krista Tavcar, Dr Jeneane Rae, and I were forced to work out of a room that was like a broom cupboard. It was so small, the rooms were originally designed as little examination rooms attached to doctors’ rooms, but we had more doctors than rooms. Some of the rooms didn’t even have a window. It was really hard.”
To accommodate growing demand, the team acquired additional rooms across the street at 60 Nixon Street in 2005 with staff initially moving between sites carrying patient histories. The entire practice was eventually consolidated at 56–60 Nixon Street in 2011, where it continued to serve the community until the practice’s recent relocation to 4 Shelby Court in North Shepparton.
