Mater celebrates 100 years of exceptional care

Wednesday, 4 January 2006 marked the 100th birthday of the Mater Hospitals in Brisbane and to celebrate this milestone a special ceremony was held at the site of one of Mater's first hospitals with the Sisters of Mercy, Mater staff, past patients and supporters.

Attended by the Acting Premier, The Honourable Anna Bligh MP and patient Miss Letitia Wood who, at 101 years old, has a long-standing history with the hospital, the centenary celebrations gave an insight into Mater's remarkable history and its exciting future.

Mater's story began when the Sisters of Mercy recognised a desperate need for health care services in the community and opened their first 20 bed private hospital, “Aubigny”, in a former residential home in Brisbane's North Quay in 1906.

In its first year, this small fee-paying private hospital cared for 141 patients and was the stepping stone to help the Sisters of Mercy realise their vision to provide free health care for the people of Brisbane.

Through fundraising and the funds generated by Mater Private Hospital at North Quay, the Sisters of Mercy began their journey to provide for the sick and needy.

Today, Mater is a world-class group of three public and four private hospitals plus Mater Medical Research Institute.

All of these hospitals were conceived for a specific purpose, caring for patients at every stage of their lives from tiny premature babies to the very elderly.

“Mater has touched nearly every person who has lived in Brisbane, whether you were a patient, through friends and family or you were born here,” says Mater Health Services CEO, Dr John O'Donnell.

“There are many outstanding triumphs in Mater's history such as establishing Brisbane's first blood transfusion service during World War II, developing a service for HIV/AIDS patients in the 1980s and being the first hospital in Australia to successfully treat Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome using fetal laser surgery.”

“We are proud of our heritage and look forward to continuing our journey in the footsteps of the Sisters of Mercy as we grow and provide an innovative health care service to those who need it,” he said.

For more information about Mater's centenary, please visit www.exceptional.org.au