Gallery
Committee of Management, 1897
Details
Board of Management (1856 - 1995)
- From
- August 1856
- To
- July 1995
Details
This provenance note does not include the Board of Directors of the Women’s and Children’s Health Care Network, Women’s and Children’s Health or the Royal Women’s Hospital recreated in 2004.
The Board of Management was the group responsible for the overall management of the hospital from it’s creation in 1856 until its demise in July 1995. At that time the hospital was compulsorily merged with the Royal Children’s Hospital and a Board of Directors was appointed by the state government to manage the new entity.
The Board was known by several names and was variously constituted during its 139 year existence.
Committee/Board members were elected by Subscribers to the hospital at the Annual General Meeting until circa 1980.
VISITING COMMITTEE
A committee of this name was reported in "The Argus" newspaper on 12 August 1856 where it is described as "a group of ladies (who) have consented to become visitors of this institution". These sixteen ladies all went on to be foundation members of the Ladies' Committee (Committee of Management) of the Lying-in Hospital and Infirmary for the Diseases Peculiar to Women and Children.
Mrs Robert Barlow
Mrs Barry
Mrs Cassell
Mrs Draper
Mrs Griffith
Mrs Guiness
Mrs Handfield
Mrs Heatherington
Mrs Jennings (Alicia)
Mrs Odell
Mrs Macartney
Mrs Charles Perry (Fanny)
Mrs Seddon
Mrs Simpson
Mrs Stubbs
The Prospectus issued in August 1856 prior to the public meeting that formally established the institution also includes the names of Mrs Puckle, Mrs J T Smith and Mrs Tripp. The only lady omitted from these lists who subsequently was on the inaugural Ladies' Committee was Mrs McCombe.
COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT (Ladies' Committee)
This group founded the Lying-in Hospital and Infirmary for Diseases of Women and Children in August 1856 together with Drs Richard Tracy and John Maund. The first President, Frances (Fanny) Perry was the wife of Melbourne’s first Anglican Bishop and many of the other ladies had strong protestant, particularly evangelical, church connections. They were assisted by a Gentlemen’s Committee “for reference and counsel in time of need”. The Honorary Secretary, Mrs Elizabeth Tripp was an active and competent manager whose correspondence from the first two years forms part of Series D0014.
The ladies were hands-on managers, meeting weekly and assuming responsibility for admission of patients, staff appointments and negotiating contracts with builders and suppliers.
COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT (Ladies' Committee and Gentlemen’s Committee)
In 1870 the Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Committees merged, although the Annual Reports continue to list the two groups separately until 1972. Changes in legislation saw the numbers and responsibilities change from time to time.
This committee was also referred to as the General Committee until about 1954.
Images
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- Title
- Committee of Management
- Type
- Image
- Date
- 1897
- Details
Prepared by: Robyn Waymouth
Created: 13 November 2006, Last modified: 26 November 2006