Mater Health Services Archives and Heritage Centre, Brisbane

Mater Health Services Archives and Heritage Centre, Brisbane

• Formerly known as the Mater Misericordiae Public Hospitals

• Medical

A Catholic not-for-profit ministry of Mercy Partners, Mater is guided by the spirit of the Sisters of Mercy who first established Mater in 1906 when they built the first Mater Private Hospital. The Mater is currently an extensive network of hospitals, health centres and related businesses, a nationally accredited education provider and a world-class research institute.

The Mater Archives and Heritage Centre in Brisbane is open to all Mater staff, researchers and members of the public. The centre collects and preserves records and artefacts that tell the story of Mater, from the foundation of the first Mater Private Hospital by the Sisters of Mercy in 1906 to the present day

For further information about the history of the Mater, see https://www.mater.org.au/group/about/our-heritage/history

Records related to the Sisters of Mercy, the foundation, development and operations of Mater Misericordiae Hospitals and the working life of its medical, nursing and other staff. Medical records are managed by the Health Information Services not the Archives.

The centre holds a broad range of items including:

• annual reports
• Board and management committee minutes and reports
• newsletters produced for distribution to Mater staff and the wider community
• photographs of Mater staff, services and departments; celebrations; and building works
• newspaper clippings
• commemorative items depicting significant events at Mater
• personal papers, memoirs, diaries, speeches and scrapbooks from Mater staff and the Sisters of Mercy
• biographical information on the Sisters of Mercy and Mater staff
• memorabilia
• architectural maps and plans relating to the hospital buildings and grounds
• instruments, equipment, furniture and nurses uniforms
• audiovisual material
• promotional material and advice to patients.

References:

• Gallagher, Michael, A history of orthopaedics at the Mater Misericordiae Hospitals Brisbane, Queensland, Boolarong Press, Brisbane, 2004.
• Gregory, H, Expressions of mercy: Brisbane’s Mater Hospitals 1906-2006. University of Queensland Press, St Lucia, Qld, 2006.
• Longhurst, Robert, In the footsteps of the Mercies: a history of nursing at the Mater Misericordiae Hospitals, Brisbane. Mater Misericordiae Public Hospitals, South Brisbane, 1992.
• O’Brien, H et al, The early medical technologists of the Mater Hospital: Sister Mary Chanel, in Lesley Williams (ed.), Hygeia’s daughters: pioneer women in health sciences in Queensland. L Williams, Brisbane, 1997.
• Summers, H J, 1979, They crossed the river: the founding of the Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Brisbane, by the Sisters of Mercy. University of Queensland Press, St Lucia, Qld.

Members of the public can currently visit by appointment only. Please email your contact details to arrange. The centre is staffed on Tuesdays and on Friday mornings, although other days and times may also be possible.

Access to some records may be restricted due to the physical condition of the materials or the private and confidential nature of the information they contain.

Services provided by arrangement include:

• information on the Mater Hospitals’ history
• personal assistance in the use of archival resources
• talks and presentations
• heritage tour of Mater campus
• displays and exhibits showcasing the collection.

Revised 24 May 2024

• Education (Thematic area)
• Medicine and Health (Thematic area)
• Science and Technology (Thematic area)