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Women’s and Children’s Health Network
Ngangkitya ngartu itya kangkawardli
Acknowledgement
The Women’s and Children’s Health Network acknowledges Aboriginal people as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of Country throughout South Australia. We acknowledge and respect their ongoing and deep spiritual connection and relationship to land, air, sea, waters, community and country. We pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website may contain images, voices and names of people who have passed away.

WCHN History and Heritage Collection

ACH Ward in Angas Building

The Women's and Children's Health Network (WCHN) has a collection of historical artefacts which is managed by the WCHN History and Heritage Group. This was originally formed as the ICONS Group in 1995 by retired Adelaide Children's Hospital Staff.

The WCHN History and Heritage Group aims to preserve, collect, collate, catalogue, store, display and interpret items of historical significance to the Women's and Children's Hospital and its predecessors the Adelaide Children's Hospital, the Queen Victoria Hospital and associated institutions (eg. Estcourt House and the former Child and Youth Health Services) in order to preserve, value and make accessible to the wider community their history and the significance of their work with regard to advances in child, youth and women’s health care in South Australia and nationally.

The WCHN History and Heritage Collection itself is mainly comprised of photographs of buildings, benefactors and staff, newsletters, nursing memorabilia, medical and surgical instruments (including an extensive range of obstetrical and gynaecological instruments), infant feeders, laboratory and X-ray equipment, toys and fundraising memorabilia.

The WCHN Heritage and History Group consists of retired hospital staff members, representatives of WCHN Executive and the Women's and Children's Hospital Foundation, a Museum Consultant/Curator, and current volunteers working on the History and Heritage Collection. The Group maintains changing exhibits in various areas within the hospital, and acts as a resource reference to interested personnel*.

The WCHN History and Heritage Group curates exhibitions and displays around the Hospital.

For further information about some recent projects, displays and articles on the History and Heritage Collection, go to this page:

Contact

For further information or to donate items to the collection*, please contact the Museum Consultant/Curator.

*Please note that the History and Heritage Collection is infrequently attended, and there may be delays in replies to your correspondence.

*Due to resource limitations, the Group cannot attend to all personal research queries related to the history of the WCHN, and requires significant notice to fulfill any requests for information. Also please note that the Collection does not hold patient medical records or records from Human Resources regarding previous staff members.