Eden-Pambula Cottage Hospital

Eden - Pambula Cottage Hospital:

Originally established as the Eden-Pambula Cottage Hospital, the institution that became the Pambula District Hospital was founded in 1898 by Dr. Cosby William Morgan.

After taking over Dr. Stoney’s practice in March that year, he was appointed Government Medical Officer for the local district and advertised that he could be consulted at Mrs. Tier’s Club Hotel in Pambula. Immediately recognising the need for a hospital, he purchased a building from local builder and contractor Job Koerber in about August and called public meetings at Pambula and Eden to discuss the establishment of the facility. Operated on a semi-private basis, a committee was appointed consisting of members such as Messrs. Hungerford, Baddeley, Wilkins, Pfeiffer and Small to provide funding support including covering the cost of public patients unable to afford their own health care; and drawing up, in conjunction with Dr. Morgan, the rules and regulations governing the institution.

Renovation and extension work was commenced and in December 1898, the Pambula Voice newspaper reported that “…the building to be used as a district

Dr. Cosby William Morgan.

Image courtesy of Jen Willetts.

hospital at Pambula is now nearing completion and the work is being pushed on as rapidly as possible. We understand that the institution will be ready for the reception of patients at the beginning of the new year.”

Consisting of three wards containing six beds, a sitting room, kitchen, offices, bathroom and matron’s quarters on a third of an acre fronting Narregol and Toalla Streets, the hospital was officially opened by Mrs. J. W. Haywood on 17 January 1899 “…in the presence of a large gathering of local residents.” A report of the event noted that “Dr. Morgan, who has built and refurbished the building at his own expense, provided refreshments for the assembled guests, and a few pleasant hours were spent…Several speeches were made, appropriate to the occasion, the doctor being sincerely thanked for the liberality displayed by him in the matter.” Although noting that “…he had had many misgivings as to the wisdom of spending so much money as the Cottage Hospital had cost…”, the doctor highlighted the widespread nature of the local population, observing that the facility would enable him to see those who, because of distance, may not otherwise be visited.

Having previously practiced in areas as diverse as Newcastle, Forbes, Gundagai, Bathurst and Sydney, Dr. Morgan would have been no stranger to the importance of hospital facilities. Indeed, he was even reportedly one of the prime movers behind the establishment of Sydney’s Prince Alfred Hospital.

Merimbula had the honour of arranging the first appeal for the facility, holding a concert, ball, children’s dance and Bruce auction in Carrington Hall on 26 October that contributed £7/2/4 to the coffers. Fundraising quickly became a district-wide responsibility, establishing a long-serving tradition of community service and support that has continued right through to the present day. Events such as an annual ball, dramatic entertainments, Christmas, children’s and garden parties, concerts, performances, dances, bazaars and public collections were held at the various districts stretching from Kiah to Wolumla, with even the smallest of centres including Burragate, Rocky, Lochiel and Nethercote contributing towards its operation.

Nonetheless, despite these efforts, Dr. Morgan continued to carry the facility at a loss and by 1903 was considering its closure. He called another public meeting in February during which Mr. Hungerford’s motion that “The public undertake to pay the Matron's salary, in addition to the expenses of public patients...” was adopted.

At this point a range of cost cutting measures were also introduced that remained in place until after the public health system took over. As part of this, a huge array of goods and services were donated by residents to reduce expenses. This included bed linen, flowers,

cakes, vegetables, eggs, fruit for jams and preserves, fish and oysters, magazines, newspapers and books, furnishings, wood for the stoves, hot water system and heating, and even the trucks and drivers needed to cart bulky items and large loads.

In April 1904, the community assumed responsibility for the cost of running the hospital, including renting the building and

The Eden - Pambula Cottage Hospital, C. 1900.

Image courtesy of the George Family Collection. All rights reserved.

contents and paying Dr. Morgan £5/5/- a year for supply of medicines. A new committee consisting of Messrs. J. H. Martin (President), H. H. Hungerford (Vice President), J. N. Small (secretary and treasurer), P. Doherty, C. A. Baddeley, W. D. Pfeiffer, and A. Arguimbau was elected to run the institution and Dr. Morgan agreed to continue seeing public patients free of charge, a practice he maintained until his departure from the district the following year.

In 1905, after Dr. Morgan announced his plans to retire to Sydney, Dr. Howell of Bodalla took over his Pambula practice and also agreed to act as honorary medical officer for the Eden-Pambula Cottage Hospital. He was assisted in his task by Dr. Dryden Stead of Bega who wrote in October 1905 “…that it gave him great pleasure to accept the invite of the committee to become honorary medical officer…”

At the time of his planned departure from the district, Dr. Morgan was suffering ill health, the Pambula correspondent to Bega’s Southern Star newspaper noting in August 1905 that “…Bega and Candelo doctors have been here all week, our local M. D., Dr. Morgan, being seriously ill.” The following month it was mentioned that he had “…gone to Eden for a few weeks to regain strength, and will then leave for Sydney.”

After taking up residence in Granville, he had little time to enjoy his retirement, sickness seeming to be a frequent issue. In April 1906, it was reported that he had “…been laid up in a private hospital in Sydney…” and in November he was “…reported to be in a very low state in Sydney.” He passed away at Stanmore in March 1909, aged 76, his wife Harriet (nee Scott), the prominent natural history artist, having died in August 1907.

Following Dr. Morgan’s departure from the district, the committee continued to rent the hospital building from him, all the while exploring the idea of acquiring the property. Public meetings were held to discuss the matter and in May 1906 an offer was tabled for the committee from Dr. Morgan to sell the property. After being put to the local community for consideration, the motion was finally passed to purchase the land, cottage hospital and all furnishings for £150.

By this time, lack of space at the facility had resulted in patient waiting lists and an operating room and infectious cases ward separate from the main building were also needed. A £40/7/6 tender for two additional rooms was awarded to Job Koerber, with the completion of the extra ward noted in January 1907, while in March the Pambula Voice reported on the finish of the operating theatre, commenting that it was “…equipped with almost every modern contrivance including operating table, instrument and dressing table and instrument cabinet.”

However, these works also highlighted the shortage of space on the hospital site, precluding any further expansion. As a result, a sub-committee was appointed in December 1906 to investigate alternative locations and by June 1907, a number had been suggested. The site which includes the area upon which the present hospital still stands was selected by 1908 and by May that year it had been officially gazetted, a start being immediately made on land clearing.

Fundraising for the new facility also began straightaway, and plans, drawn up by Job Koerber, were accepted by the committee in 1911. Although problems were encountered when the Health Department refused to approve them without a separate isolation ward, they finally agreed to permit use of the original hospital building for the purpose. In response to news about the proposed new hospital, William Stafford of the local brickmaking family offered to donate 25,000 bricks, and the committee was bequeathed a block of land by a Mr. Richards, the proceeds from the sale of which was committed to the facility.

After tenders were called, the building contract was awarded to Job Koerber and construction on Pambula’s second public hospital commenced in January 1914. About seven months later, however, the tragedy of World War I erupted, the effects of which impacted severely on both the cost and availability of building materials, resulting in a significantly longer and more expensive construction process than originally anticipated. As completion of the new facility inched ever closer, issues with securing permanent nursing staff due to the ongoing war saw the old hospital closed in July 1916, local residents having to make do with Bega hospital for a period of about six months.

Substantial government aid was eventually secured and finally, on 17 January 1917, on the 18th anniversary of the opening of the original hospital, the new facility was officially opened.

Approximate location of site.

References / bibliography:

Albury Banner and Wodonga Express
Bega Budget
Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate
Newcastle Chronicle
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate
Pambula Voice
Shoalhaven Telegraph
South Coast Times and Wollongong Argus
Southern Star
Sydney Daily Telegraph
Sydney Evening News
Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser
Sydney Morning Herald
Sydney Truth
Willetts, Jen, Cosby William Morgan, Medical Practitioner, in Free Settler or Felon, Jen Willetts, 3 June 2020, https://www.jenwilletts.com/cosby_william_morgan.html