The Beginning

In 1927, land for a hospital at Canterbury was acquired by the Ministry for Public Works with a foundation stone laid by the Minister for Public Health, RJ Stuart-Robertson MLA in October that year. One thousand people attended the ceremony including community and fund-raising committee leaders. The Inter-war Mediterranean style building was designed by the Government Architect's Office under the direction of Richard McDonald Seymour Wells.

The Hospital was officially opened on 26 October 1929 by the Secretary of Public Works, Ernest Buttenshaw. The Hospital was originally built to accommodate 28 patients in a population of 70,000.

In the first year 587 patients were admitted and by 1933 the number had risen to 1083 patients a year. Patients who could afford to pay were charged seven shillings and three pence per day while patients unable to pay were treated for free. There were also 12,001 outpatient attendances.
 

By 1943, Canterbury Hospital had 98 beds and this rose to 220 beds in 1965 with several additions to the original buildings. A new wing, Thorncraft House, recognised the tireless services of Alderman Herbert Thorncraft who was president of the Board of Directors for 11 years and patron of the hospital until his death in 1975. 

When the Hospital opened it was staffed by three dentists and nine specialist consultants. Casualty was staffed on a roster basis by the 33 general practitioners who worked in the district. There were no X-ray or pathology services, these were provided by private practices. All doctors were appointed as honoraries and provided free treatment to patients without the means to pay hospital charges. The doctors formed the Canterbury-Bankstown Medical Association.

The Community Rallies to Save their Hospital

In 1972, the Canterbury District Memorial Hospital changed its name to Canterbury Hospital. In 1986, with the introduction of Area Health Services to Sydney, Canterbury Hospital became part of the Lang Area Health Service along with Bankstown and Auburn Hospitals.  The boundaries of the area health services changed several times over the next ten years and in August 1995 the Hospital became part of the Central Sydney Area Health Service.
 

Canterbury Hospital was redeveloped in 1995, following a public campaign to save it from closure. 

The multi-million redevelopment of the Hospital was officially opened in 1998. The new Hospital included 215 beds, a 24 hour emergency unit, additional operating theatres, a new community health centre and modern diagnostic facilities.

Today, Canterbury Hospital is part of a network of hospitals managed by Sydney Local Health District with affiliations with the University of Sydney.