The History Of Maternity Care In Proserpine

July 12 1924 was a momentous day for women in the Proserpine district. That day marked the official opening of a maternity ward situated on hospital grounds. It was adjacent to the General Hospital that had been built in 1911. And it was a timely event too, because the first child born in the ward arrived the very next day.

Prior to this, childbirth was in the hands of midwives, mostly untrained but well experienced. They were quite amazing for they had large families of their own so not only coped with their own family commitments, but also other mothers and families. After a birth, they often stayed with the families to help out and were sometimes paid in pumpkins or other produce.  

Mrs Sophia “Granny” Jurgens would stay with a family for up to nine days after the birth, doing cooking and washing as well, and for this she received the princely sum of two guineas ($4.20). Mrs Ellen “Granny” Atkinson who had thirteen children of her own attended mothers who lived in her area of Up River and Foxdale. Mrs Setter was another well-known midwife. In 1912, she was in charge of the maternity section of the nursing home run by Dr Anderson on the top floor of 80 Main Street and later she moved to Chapman Street.  

The first hospital maternity ward was built as an extension at the original hospital situated on the river bank opposite the Junior Sporting Complex. Mark and Ethel Ruge bought Rogan’s farm and home adjacent to the Proserpine District Hospital at Waterson in 1920. The Ruge residence became an unofficial convalescent home. Mothers-to-be from outlying areas stayed there while waiting for the baby’s arrival as these were the days of bad roads, poor communication, and long wet seasons.
In early 1935, it was decided to shift the hospital from its original site and locate it on the end of Herbert Street. It was moved piece by piece using a large wagon and twelve horses, the job being undertaken by Bill Fraser and sons, Jim and Phil. Sid Martin sat atop the load to lift street lights to safety as they journeyed through the town. The maternity ward was placed at the back of the hospital and later became the wardsman’s residence. It was 1936 before the move was completed.                                                                
A new hospital was designed in that same year to supplement the buildings brought from the original site. It was completed by 1940 and consisted of a maternity ward, nurses’ quarters, a male ward and an outpatients’ department.
With additional buildings over the decades, the new hospital and maternity ward served the community well until 1998 when a modern building replaced part of the original and the maternity ward was moved to another part of the hospital.
For many years, routine in the maternity ward was quite strict. The baby was taken away to the nursery and brought out only to be fed, thus allowing the mother a few days of complete rest. Feeding times were strictly three or four hourly depending on the baby’s birth weight. After four or five days, Mum and bub could go home as long as the baby was feeding properly. How times have changed.
Throughout the one hundred years since the maternity wing was first added to the original hospital, there are many interesting stories about the wards and the dedicated nurses known as “Middy” or “Mid” (as in “midwifery”) who helped deliver babies and provided wonderful care for both mothers and their newborns. But these are stories for another time.

Story and photo courtesy Proserpine Historical Museum
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Maternity section in Herbert Street - completed 1940
Maternity ward at right hand end of original hospital building

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