By Aaron Cordy
150 YEARS ago, on the banks of the Goulburn River in Mooroopna, locals built the Mooroopna Hospital in 1876. By the 1920s, the Mooroopna hospital was one of the largest medical facilities outside Melbourne and well on its way to becoming the cherished GV Health we know today.In its illustrious history, GV Health has faced many changes, including crossing the river to house its base in Shepparton, to support a community of more than 200,000 people through a dedicated workforce of over 3,000 staff and volunteers across multiple locations.
Celebrating its 150th birthday and launching a book, GV Health, Proud to Serve, detailing the hospital’s remarkable history, GV Health held an event on Thursday, June 11, at the Historical Society of Mooroopna (the old hospital site).
Jay Bryce headed up the project with the guidance of the GV Health Media team and the Shepparton and Mooroopna Historical Societies.
“The thing that stands out to me the most about the book is how the hospital has grown with the region. So, it literally started as a hut by the river in Mooroopna, and now we’ve got multiple campuses in Tatura, Euroa, Rushworth,” said Jay.
“The stories of resilience and getting it done, despite lack of government funding, or under-resourcing, all that sort of stuff that still exists today. That passion that drives healthcare was at the heart of it then, and is at the heart of it now with so many people here today.”
A panel discussion of former Board Member of GV Health Graham Hill, Divisional Clinical Director of Mental Health, GV Health Associate Professor Ravi Bhat, After Hours Hospital Manager Wendy Johnstone, and Gwenda Collins of the Historical Society of Mooroopna was another highlight of the day.
Copies of the book can be purchased for $60 at the GV Health Cashier’s Office, the Historical Society of Mooroopna and the Shepparton Heritage Centre Museum.
