Katherine Hospital celebrates 90 years of community healthcare

4 December 2024

Katherine Hospital is this month celebrating its 90th anniversary, marking nine decades of providing quality healthcare to the Big Rivers Region.

From its early days as a small emergency facility, Katherine Hospital has grown to include 60 beds, offering emergency, maternity, surgical, paediatric, general medical care and pathology services.

The hospital now employs about 260 full-time staff, a significant increase from its initial team of just two – a doctor and a nurse – when it first opened.

Minister for Health, Steve Edgington, said: “Katherine Hospital has been at the heart of healthcare in the Big Rivers Region for 90 years. The growth of this facility and the dedication of its staff reflect its central role in the community.”

Over its 90-year history, Katherine Hospital has delivered around 12,000 babies, including cyclist Cadel Evans, Olympic swimmer Liesel Jones, and federal Minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy.

Katherine Hospital’s history dates back to 1931 when a temporary emergency facility was set up in a local school building during a joint epidemic of influenza and malaria.

Following the epidemic, Dr. Cecil Cook, the then-Chief Medical Officer for North Australia, decided to shut the Australian Inland Mission Hospital in Maranboy and medical staff were relocated to Katherine, which had a larger population, a reliable river system and an existing doctor.

Construction of the permanent hospital began in May 1934 and was completed by December. The same year, a tamarind tree was planted on the grounds that still stands today.

Member for Katherine, Jo Hersey, said: “Katherine Hospital’s history is deeply connected to our community. From humble beginnings in 1931 as an emergency facility, to the opening of the permanent hospital in 1934, it has always supported our community members when they needed it most.”

A community event was held today at Katherine Hospital to celebrate the anniversary and recognise the enormous contributions of the dedicated staff who have provided quality healthcare and supported the facility’s success over the years.

Highlights from Katherine Hospital’s history include:

• The hospital’s first medical staff were Dr Clyde Fenton, a skilled surgeon and self-taught pilot, and Sister Olive O’Keefe, a nurse and midwife.
•  Dr Fenton was known for his daring landings and renegade behaviour. He flew single-engine aeroplanes to deliver medical treatment to remote communities across the NT as part of the Territory’s first Aerial Medical Service, clocking up around 3,000 hours of flying.
• In 1935, Lynette Eileen Black (nee Kearnan) was the first baby girl born at the hospital. Lynette went on to serve as a registered nurse and matron at the hospital during the late 1950s.
• Katherine was bombed by Japanese aircraft launching daisy cutter bombs, which are designed to explode just above the ground, on 22 March, 1942. Within minutes of the bombs approaching, a red cross was frantically painted on the roof of the hospital, helping it to survive the air raid.
• The hospital has withstood multiple floods, including in 1957, 1998 and 2006. In 1957, the patients were moved to Dr Ken Moo’s elevated residence on the hospital grounds and, in 1998 and 2006, patients were evacuated from the hospital entirely.
• Staff including orderly Jack Roney, obstetrician Dr Jim Scattini, and service staff Daisy Angus and her daughters Francesca, Dorothy, Patricia, and Joan have all been recognised for their dedicated careers to the Katherine Hospital.

Media contact: Minister Edgington – Russel Guse – 0488 047 830
Media contact: Minister Hersey – Zac Webster – 0466 102 011

Northern Territory Government