Westland Hospital

Westland Hospital was one of two hospitals in Hokitika, on the West Coast of New Zealand. It was founded in 1865 and closed in 1989.

History

Westland Hospital, 1904

The hospital was founded in 1865 to the south of the Hokitika River and rebuilt about 1875 to the north of the town.[1] It was located adjacent to the Seaview Asylum.[2]

Ebenezer Teichelmann was appointed Surgical Superintendent in 1897, holding the position until 1914.[3] He was assisted by his nurse Bess Hudson.

In 1906 there was a matron and four nurses. The hospital had three wards and accommodated 50 beds.[1] In 1919 a foundation stone was laid for a war memorial wing which was completed in 1923. The wing was named the Mandl Wing in honour of Joseph Mandl a former mayor of Hokitika.[4][5]

After a sit-in and protests, the Mandl Wing closed in 1985.[5][6] The rest of the hospital closed in 1989 and the buildings were demolished in the 1990s.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b "The Westland Hospital". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Nelson, Marlborough & Westland Provincial District. Christchurch: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand. 1906. Archived from the original on 26 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Westland and Seaview hospitals". teara.govt.nz. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  3. ^ Royal College of Surgeons of England. "Plarr's Lives of the Fellows: Teichelmann, Ebenezer (1859–1939)". Royal College of Surgeons of England. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Corporation Of Hokitika". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Nelson, Marlborough & Westland Provincial District. Christchurch: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand. 1906. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  5. ^ a b c "Westland Hospital war memorial wing | NZHistory, New Zealand history online". nzhistory.govt.nz. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  6. ^ Neame, Peter (1987). Save our hospital : Hokitika fights back. Greymouth, N.Z.: P. Neame. ISBN 0-9597847-0-5. OCLC 154155832.