The ancestors of Springsure locals Lynda and Alban Woolcock and Lester Knox were the bricks-and-mortar of the old Springsure hospital back in the 1880s.
The families of stone masons and engineers dug the clay to make the bricks and build the hospital that is now a heritage-listed building and museum.
The Knox’s are one of Springsure’s families that came to the town for the old hospital construction and became locals for generations to come.
‘My great-grandfather came here in 1862 and made all the bricks for the hospital just down from where we live,’ he said.
‘We’ve had a few generations here now and my father was a sawmiller and cut the timber for the second hospital, which is no longer here, in 1939.’
Alban Woolcock’s ancestors were also involved in building the hospital and subsequently became its first matron and wardsman. The healthcare tradition runs through generations for the Woolcock family with Alban’s wife Lynda also being a nurse.
Ms Woolcock said she hoped for their daughter to come visit for the hospital celebration.
‘She’s a nurse in Mackay and she’s a direct descendant from the first matron.’
The Springsure Hospital Museum celebrates its 150-year anniversary on Saturday 18 August with the opening of a special exhibition.
Please join the community, councillors and council staff from 10.00 am for the official opening followed by morning tea in the hospital gardens. To have morning tea, please RSVP by Wednesday 15 August 2018 for catering purposes to mthomas@chrc.qld.gov.au or phone 4981 4100.