A HISTORY wall was recently erected near the main foyer of Mayo Private Hospital to acknowledge the foresight and dedication of those who have helped shape the hospital in its 92-year history.
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Mayo CEO Brett Goods said it was impossible to include the name of every person who has made Mayo the hospital it is today, but the history wall is a reminder of the vision and courage of those who’ve gone before – particularly the founders, Drs Muscio and Stokes.
“As the history wall depicts, Mayo is a respected, much-loved organisation because of all who have gone before and all who give their best today,” he said.
In 1920 two visionary doctors, Dr A Muscio and Dr F Stokes, purchased land in the centre of Taree (where Hungry Jacks is today) to build a hospital. When Mayo first opened in 1922, it was licenced for eight patients.
Over the years the hospital grew and required a number of extensions, including a significant reconstruction in 1977 under the ownership of the family companies of Coldham, Taylor and Tjiong.
Eventually Mayo became ‘landlocked’ in the centre of Taree and could not expand further. The Board of Directors decided to purchase land and build a new hospital at Kolodong – a few minutes from the centre of Taree. The then-Chair of the Board, Dr John Taylor, assembled a group of shareholders and construction began. The new facility was completed in 1997; double the size of the original hospital.
Mayo Private continued to expand over the next 15 years. Additional services were introduced, including a new mental health wing, acute-care beds, rehabilitation, hydrotherapy, and onsite imaging and pathology.
In July 2012, 90 years after the Mayo first opened, private hospital group Healthe Care Australia purchased the hospital and undertook a $10 million redevelopment. More photos and historical information can be found on Mayo’s new website.
The history wall was built from bricks used in the 1922 construction of the original Mayo Private Hospital and brought to the Kolodong site in 1997. “Just as this wall represents great respect of the hospital’s history, Mayo is testimony to the skill, dedication and loyal support of all who have worked within its walls and all who have passed through its doors.”
The history wall was designed by Wingham's Well Creative
In the words of Joy Davey, who had a 51-year association with Mayo Private and was the longest-serving Director of Nursing, it is “an honour and a privilege” to serve this community.