Toowoomba Hospital Foundation, joined by Federal Member for Groom Garth Hamilton and major donor to the project Clive Berghofer AM, officially turned the first soil on their Museum of Health Precinct on the site of the heritage-listed Medical Superintendent’s House along Hogg Street in Toowoomba. Toowoomba Hospital Foundation, joined by Federal Member for Groom Garth Hamilton and major donor to the project Clive Berghofer AM, officially turned the first soil on their Museum of Health Precinct on the site of the heritage-listed Medical Superintendent’s House along Hogg Street in Toowoomba.
The Museum of Health, which is the first of its kind in Toowoomba will be completed in three stages with Stage 1 of the project now fully funded thanks to contributions from the Australian Government Building Better Regions Fund and a $1.5 million commitment from Clive Berghofer.
Toowoomba Hospital Foundation CEO Alison Kennedy said the project is different to anything else the Foundation has done.
“Taking on a Museum project is something we’ve never done before, but it’s something that we are incredibly proud to be doing so that we can continue to preserve the history of health care and mental health care in our region,” she said.
“Thanks to a wonderful gift of $1.5 million from Clive Berghofer, we’ve been able to turn a dream of bringing our historical collections from Toowoomba and Baillie Henderson Hospitals together in a permanent Museum precinct for our community and visitors to the region to enjoy.
“We’ve now started work on Stage 1 which will see the Medical Superintendent’s House originally built in 1888 restored. This beautiful house will be the focal point of our Precinct where people can walk through and explore pieces from our collection, and the displays won’t just be static, we plan on rotating through key themes and topics.”
Mrs Kennedy said the Foundation is currently seeking funding for Stage 2 of the project, which will see a café and gift shop established on site.
“The new Museum café and gift shop will be another social enterprise for the Foundation helping in raising funds in support of Darling Downs Health,” she said.
Federal Member for Groom Garth Hamilton said the new Museum of Health will be a significant cultural precinct that shares the region’s contributions to health care in Queensland.
“I think it’s so important that we tell our stories, and Toowoomba has a great story to tell about how we’ve contributed to the betterment of health across Queensland,” he said.
The Museum of Health Precinct which is estimated at $8.5 million will be completed in three stages:
- Stage 1
Heritage restoration and change of use of the Medical Superintendent’s House, amphitheatre for events, and visitor car parking - Stage 2
Museum café and gift shop - Stage 3
Purpose-built museum and gallery collection storage and office spaces
It is hoped that Stage 1 and 2 of the Precinct will be completed by September 2024, with Stage 3 coinciding with the completion of the new Toowoomba Hospital.
