We’ll drink to that: the 200th anniversary of Australia’s oldest hospital

An elderly lady with an interesting clinical history

Sydney Hospital, Australia’s oldest hospital, celebrated its anniversary at its present site on Sunday 30 October 2011, 200 years after New South Wales Governor Lachlan Macquarie laid its foundation stone. On Saturday 29 October, many current and former staff, patients, and other people interested in an integral part of Australia’s and Sydney’s history attended an open day and historical exhibition. The story of Sydney Hospital parallels that of Sydney itself — founded in makeshift circumstances to treat convicts, initially dependent on questionable dealings between commerce and government, but eventually establishing itself as a general hospital, serving and supporting a busy and vigorously growing colony and city. Over time, it has moved into providing a somewhat eclectic mix of specialist medical services to both the local Sydney community and New South Wales.