This digital exhibition showcases objects from the Canterbury Hospital heritage collection.
 

During the 1950s two Australian fantasy illustrators Pixie O’Harris MBE and her brother Olaf completed a series of murals and paintings for the children's wards of several hospitals in New South Wales. Although many have been lost to time, the Canterbury artworks, painted directly onto the wall, were carefully removed, preserved and reinstalled during the hospital redevelopment for future generations to enjoy.

Inspiration for hospital murals came to Pixie after the birth of her third child in 1939, dispirited by the bleakness of the hospital walls. When she first started painting these murals they were painted directly onto the hospital walls.

– Manning Regional Art Gallery, 2020

On 4 February 1932, Canterbury District Memorial Hospital was listed in the General Hospitals category as a training school recognised by the Nurses' Registration Board of New South Wales. Nurse training commenced onsite and would continue at Canterbury Hospital until formal university nurse training was introduced in the 1980s. Training went for a period of four years.
 

The Nurses Registration Act of 1924 saw the commencement of government regulation of the nursing in New South Wales. Under the Act the Nurses Registration Board was responsible for the administration of registration examinations, the regulation of registration certificates and the maintenance of registers of qualified nurses.
 

Graduate Nurses’ Associations generally exist at most nurse teaching hospitals. They aim to bring together graduate nurses of that hospital for social and educational purposes. In the Sydney Local Health District, RPA, Balmain and Concord Hospitals all had Graduate Nurses’ Associations. These organisations often held fund raising events including balls, galas and arts events in support of the hospital or nurse activities.

A most successful evening was held when forty Graduate nurses attended the inaugural meeting of the C.D.M.G graduate nurses’ Association in Matron’s cottage on Wednesday, 1 August, 1962.

– Graduate nurse minute book, 1962