Mercy turns the big 70

The Mercy sisters arrived in the town in 1945 and rented a small private hospital on Olive Street, known as Chelvey, and functioned at the site for 12 years before moving to its current site in December 1957.

A garden space dedicated to tireless and passionate volunteer Alma Hartley was opened as part of the achievement.

Mercy operations manager Christine Arnold said Mrs Hartley, a mother-of-five and grandmother of 10 who died in 2013, was a key contributor to the project.

“Alma was one of the people that drove this,” she said.

“She saw the need for a space and made this garden come to fruition.”

Ms Arnold said there was no doubt in the minds of staff the garden should be named after Mrs Hartley, whose husband received palliative care at the hospital.

“She’s remembered as someone who was very enthusiastic and that’s why we decided to honour her by naming the garden after her,” she said.

Garden project manager Michelle Enright said the idea sprung from wanting to offer a space for patients and families.

“The garden has been part of a vision for two and a half years,” she said.

“It started with wanting a place where patients and families can come and sit in tranquility.”

Ms Enright said the new development allowed patients a release from their normal surroundings.

“I work in palliative care so I know patients enjoy having an escape,” she said.

Ms Enright said she saw how much Mrs Hartley’s drive benefited the community.

“She was tenacious when I met her,” she said.

“Alma was a can-do girl and we had a fundraiser to help kick off what we wanted to create.”

Mrs Hartley’s son Ross said the palliative care nurses that looked after his father were “like angels.”

“The palliative care nurses came out to take care of him,” he said.

“Mum was just rapt with their kindness so she wanted to give a bit back and she got involved and started talking about the garden.”

Ms Arnold said the 70^th anniversary helped bring to light the original group that started the first Mercy hospital.

“The anniversary shows the vision of the Mercy congregation that came to Albury in 1945 and started the first Mercy hospital in Olive Street,” she said.

Ms Arnold said the hospital started out as an acute facility but has now moved to provide sub-acute services focusing on patient care and ensuring the well-being of everyone being looked after.

“When the obstetrics unit closed down we moved to sub-acute offering palliative and aged care as our focus,” she said.

CLARIFICATION: An earlier version of this report incorrectly stated the Mercy sisters arrived in the town in 1945 and opened the hospital on the site where it stands today.

The four sisters rented a small private hospital on Olive Street, known as Chelvey, and functioned at the site for 12 years before moving to its current site in December 1957