Foundations
Belmont, Western Australia 1935
The effects of the depression of the 1930s were especially evident in the district of Belmont. Many in the locality were unemployed and lack of public transport made travel to hospital in the city difficult.
The local General Practitioner, Thomas Meagher, sought to alleviate the people's distress and encouraged Sisters of St John of God to establish a hospital in the district.
The Sisters of St John of God purchased a house; known as "Hill 60" located in close proximity to the City of Perth on the banks of the Swan River. They set up a hospital in a small house where they cared for the people until a new hospital was built in 1936.
Sisters of St John of God served the people of the Belmont district and beyond between 1935 and 1994, and had an exceptional reputation for their quality of care.
The decision of St John of God Healthcare to establish a new hospital at Murdoch, www.sjog.org.au to meet the needs of the growing population in the south Metropolitan region led to the transfer of Belmont's bed licenses and the subsequent sale of this property.
