{"id":155466,"date":"2016-08-23T00:07:05","date_gmt":"2016-08-22T14:07:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=155466"},"modified":"2020-10-07T11:05:56","modified_gmt":"2020-10-07T01:05:56","slug":"private-hospital-opens-with-a-smile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2016\/08\/23\/private-hospital-opens-with-a-smile\/","title":{"rendered":"Private Hospital Opens With A Smile"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Federal Member for Maranoa David Littleproud, Lady (Florence) Bjelke-Petersen, South Bank Day Hospital Executive Director\u00a0Prof Mark Radford and South Burnett Community Hospital Foundation chairman and former South Burnett mayor Wayne Kratzmann<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

August 23, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

The rollercoaster ride that has been the recent history of Kingaroy’s private hospital ended in smiles on Monday morning with the official opening of the new Lady Bjelke-Petersen Community Hospital.<\/p>\n

The hospital is being managed by Brisbane-based South Bank Day Hospital, and dental, opthamalogy and gastroenterology patients have already begun to receive treatments.<\/p>\n

Former South Burnett mayor Wayne Kratzmann, who is chairman of the fund-raising South Burnett Community Hospital Foundation, sent his heartfelt thanks to the 10,500 people who signed the petition launched by Council in July last year to save the hospital.<\/p>\n

“To the South Burnett community, my heartfelt thanks because you got us here,” Mr Kratzmann said at the opening ceremony.<\/p>\n

He also thanked Hancock Prospecting and \u00a0businesswoman Gina Rinehart whose $600,000 donation has kickstarted fundraising by the Foundation to purchase equipment for the hospital.<\/p>\n

South Bank Day Hospital Executive Director\u00a0Prof Mark Radford said that when then-Mayor Kratzmann and Council Economic Development Manager Phil Harding came to see him in February he had “no idea” where the journey would end up.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He admitted that at first he had a lot of reservations.<\/p>\n

But when he came to Kingaroy to inspect the building, it became the the first of a number of visits over a series of months that demonstrated to him the potential the hospital has.<\/p>\n

“I became excited,” he said.<\/p>\n

Prof Radford said the Lady Bjelke-Petersen Community Hospital fitted in well with South Bank Day Hospital’s mission and belief that regional communities should have good access to health care.<\/p>\n

“Kingaroy is perfectly positioned to be the centre of health care in this part of Queensland,” he said.<\/p>\n

He said his team was now working towards introducing gynaecological, paediatric, orthopaedic and oncological services, and eventually hoped to offer palliative care.<\/p>\n

The hospital was officially opened by recently elected Member for Maranoa David Littleproud who said he felt very honoured to be asked to do the task.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He recalled that his father Brian had been a proud member of the Bjelke-Petersen State Government.<\/p>\n

“Lady Bjelke-Petersen in my mind – and in my family’s mind – is Queensland royalty,” he said.<\/p>\n

South Burnett Mayor Keith Campbell re-iterated the thanks to Gina Rinehart and Hancock Prospecting, but also praised his predecessor for his ability to rally the community and to find a solution.<\/p>\n

“Thank you Kratzie for your amazing effort,” Mayor Campbell said.<\/p>\n

FOOTNOTE<\/strong>: Prof Radford recently discovered he had a family connection to the South Burnett: “When I first visited Kingaroy … I talked to my mother and she said ‘Do you realise that your great-aunt Aunty Nell lived and worked in Kingaroy?’.” “Aunty Nell” was, in fact, surgeon Dr Ellen Mary Kent Hughes, a former Kingaroy Shire Councillor and the first woman in Local Government in Queensland. The Town Hall Forecourt in Kingaroy is named after Dr Kent Hughes, and a memorial scholarship in her name has recently been launched in the South Burnett.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Prof Mark Radford, David Littleproud and Wayne Kratzmann officially open the Lady Bjelke-Petersen Community Hospital<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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South Burnett Regional Council Economic Development Manager Phil Harding, Sheena Lindholm (SBRC) and Hancock Prospecting representative David Davies<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Prof Mark Radford with South Burnett Mayor Keith Campbell and master of ceremonies for the occasion John Carey\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Kingaroy Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Raymond “RT”\u00a0Lewandowski, Darling Downs Hospital and Health Board member Cheryl Dalton and acting South Burnett Cluster Operations Manager Steve McNamara<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Deputy Opposition Leader and Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington, Lady Bjelke-Petersen and member for Maranoa David Littleproud<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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John and Karyn Bjelke-Petersen, John Cummins and Dr\u00a0Isobel Jonsson\u00a0\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Cr Ros Heit, Cr Roz Frohloff and Cr Danita Potter … Cr Heit and Cr Potter are Council representatives on the South Burnett Community Hospital Foundation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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QFES members were out in force at the opening … from left, Station Officer Bruce Groer, Area Training Support Officer Steve Roberts, Acting Superintendent James Gill and Inspector Mark Long<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Deputy Mayor Kathy Duff with Ruth and Ron Mason, from Chelmsford<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Former South Burnett councillors Barry Green and Deb Palmer with Cr Gavin “Spud” Jones<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Jim Young (Downer), Rob Woodall (Stanwell) and Dave Waddell (Downer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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