Barcaldine Hospital Committee TributePrint Page 
The plaque was erected by the hospital committee as a tribute to the ladies of the town who established the Barcaldine Victoria Cottage Hospital in 1887.
Money had been collected to establish a hospital at each terminus of the railway line, but the line always moved on before it could be built. In May 1887, Mrs. Francis, wife of the Police Magistrate, called a public meeting of ladies and suggested that Queen Victoria’s jubilee in June should be celebrated by establishment of Victoria Cottage Hospital. She told them, " as the men have failed in their attempts it is now the women`s turn."
With the help of her daughter and a hard working committee, Mrs. Francis carried her proposal to immediate success. Jubilee week saw a series of functions from which all proceeds were donated to a hospital. So generous was the response that by August a site was chosen and in September a tender of £353.11.10 from Meacham and Leyland was accepted for construction. James Meacham and James Leyland were carpenters who founded a business at Pine Hill in October 1884 and moved via Jericho to Barcaldine with the railway. When Victoria Hospital (the word ‘cottage’ was dropped) opened in the first week of March 1888, the ladies handed over administration to a committee of men. Parnell, Lloyd-Jones, Cronin, Moody, Savage, Shakspeare, Hyland, Campbell, McDermott, Peel and Ellis were the first committee members with Mr Francis in the chair.
Excerpt from The Barcaldine Story 1846 -2008:
Isobel Hoch 2008.
Location
| Address: | Oak Street (Capricorn Highway) & Pine Street, Barcaldine Hospital & Multi-Purpose Health Service, Barcaldine, 4725 |
|---|---|
| State: | QLD |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -23.552972 Long: 145.293888 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Plaque |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Culture |
| Sub-Theme: | Community |
Dedication
10th May 1887
The undermentioned ladies who in the Jubilee Year of Queen Victoria's reign in the spirit of sympathy and suffering which is the glory of their sex first thought of establishing the Institution and in the face of obstacles which would have deterred all but the most resolute carried on their own unaided efforts the project to a speedy and successful issue
This humble tribute is gratefully and respectfully inserted by the Hospital Committee
Mrs A. M. Francis
Mrs. W. H. Campbell, Mrs. A. L. A. Moody, Mrs. J. Hyland
Mrs. R. Matthews, Mrs. F.C. Shaw, Mrs. R. Summers
Mrs. W.Eastlake, Mrs. A. Parnell, Mrs. E.A. Peel
Miss Francis Miss Savage
Barcaldine Historical Society Inc.
