Concord Repatriation General Hospital (abbreviated CRGH), commonly referred to as Concord Hospital, is a district general hospital in Sydney, Australia, on Hospital Road in Concord. It is a teaching hospital of

Sydney Medical School The University of Sydney School of Medicine, also known as Sydney Medical School (SMS) is the graduate medical school of the University of Sydney. Established in 1856, it is the first medical school in Australia. In 2018, Sydney Medical School j ...

at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

, where it is referred to as Concord Clinical School, and a major facility in the Sydney Local Health District and the former Sydney South West Area Health Service. The NSW Statewide Severe Burn Injury Service and the Bernie Banton Centre, an asbestos diseases research institute, are located there. Parts of the television series '' All Saints'' were filmed at CRGH.

History

Prior to the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Yaralla Estate on which the hospital is built belonged to philanthropist Thomas Walker and subsequently his daughter Dame Eadith Walker. A small hospital had already been established on the site, known as the Thomas Walker Convalescent Hospital. Following the death of Dame Eadith in 1937, the property was bequeathed to the Crown for development as a public hospital.''Walker Trusts Act 1938'' No. 31, as amended. State of New South Wales. The current hospital was commissioned in 1939 as a general hospital for the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...

and opened on 11 March 1941. When completed in 1942, the 2,000-bed Yaralla Military Hospital (113th Australian General Hospital .G.H. was the largest hospital in the Southern Hemisphere. The main hospital building (currently known as the Multi Building) was one of the tallest buildings in Sydney when completed and its design won architects Stephenson & Turner the Sulman Award in 1946. Following the war, the hospital became a

repatriation Repatriation is the return of a thing or person to its or their country of origin, respectively. The term may refer to non-human entities, such as converting a foreign currency into the currency of one's own country, as well as the return of mi ...

hospital for returned servicemen under the jurisdiction of the

Commonwealth government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national executive government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The executive consists of the prime ...

, with a change in name to Repatriation General Hospital, Concord (RGHC). In 1963, RGHC became a teaching hospital of the

. Recognising the growing community need, the hospital began providing care for general community patients in 1974, including the opening of an emergency department in 1977. In 1993, the hospital was transferred to the Central Sydney Area Health Service of the

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Department of Health as a public hospital and renamed to the current Concord Repatriation General Hospital.

Memorials

Although it is no longer under the jurisdiction of the Department of Veterans' Affairs, the hospital retains a historical significance to the

veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an job, occupation or Craft, field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in the military, armed forces. A topic o ...

s community in New South Wales. A number of memorials maintain these links, including: * Australian Hospital Ship ''Centaur'' memorial, a

stained-glass window Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

adjacent to the main entrance of the hospital * Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway and memorial rose garden, forming the major part of the designated route for commuting to/from Rhodes railway station. *

Anzac Day Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia, New Zealand and Tonga that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and ...

remembrance services

Future

During mid-2006, construction work commenced on a new mental health precinct at the northern end of the hospital grounds. On completion the Sydney South West Area Mental Health Service (SSWAHMS) will relocate the majority of its existing services from The Rozelle Hospital to the new facilities at CRGH.

Gallery

File:CRGH Main entrance.jpg, Concord Repatriation General Hospital Main Entrance File:CRGH Main Emergency entrance.jpg, Concord Repatriation General Hospital Main Emergency Ambulance Entrance File:CRGH Main Emergency entrance 2.jpg, Concord Repatriation General Hospital Main Emergency Entrance

References

External links