FEATURE - Maleny Hospital Auxiliary is coming out of the shadows

A welcoming hospital background for any new community members to Maleny, and a reminiscence for everyone!

The Maleny Soldiers Memorial Hospital was established in 1920 to support soldiers - men and women - returning from World War I. At this time, Maleny was a small dairying community but one which provided a disproportionate number of volunteers to the war effort. 

This hospital was to be funded by public donations and had an initial staff of four (two local doctors, a matron and a cook), and historically it provided free treatment for all ex-service people. It was gazetted as a public hospital in 1921, expanded somewhat and served the community well for many years. 

A new building was opened in 1987 on a site of more than nine acres of parkland opposite the old hospital. Today it is a 24-bed facility staffed by a team of dedicated health professionals and forms part of the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service.

 It is one of only two soldiers’ memorial hospitals in Queensland, the other being in Brisbane. It provides 24/7 emergency care, medical sub acute care, palliative and other allied care to the entire community.

In 2024 the Maleny Hospital underwent a $2.8m refurbishment which brought it up to current healthcare standards. 

It was realised soon after the opening of the new building that some sort of auxiliary body was needed to fundraise to provide modern equipment and to improve facilities for patients and staff over and above that able to be provided by Queensland Health. This, then, was the beginning of the Hospital Auxiliary. 

In its early days the Auxiliary provided toiletries, reading matter and other needs by holding local cake stalls and handcraft displays to cover these costs. But as medical care widened in recent years, there was a need to source more sophisticated equipment and the role of the Auxiliary increased in importance. 

Outdoor areas were also landscaped to create a garden environment, and a beautiful Walk of Remembrance was built in 2015 so ambulant patients or those in wheelchairs could relax in the gardens. This walk is now open to the public, details and a brochure being available at the Maleny Visitor Information Centre. 

While the Auxiliary was tasked with fundraising, a huge amount of support has been offered by various organisations and individuals in the town. It has always been evident that this hospital is important to everyone. 

In 2006 an annual Fashion and Flowers morning tea was started at the Maleny RSL, with fashions and shoes on loan from Maleny shops, and local models parading down the catwalk. This event is in its 19th year, though is now renamed A Springtime Affair. So successful has it become that it has moved to a larger space in the Pavilion at Maleny Showgrounds and tickets are in high demand before they go on sale. 

The Hospital Auxiliary is now proudly announcing a new and quite different project: Heart of the Hinterland Gala Dinner, which it hopes will become a regular occasion. To be held on Saturday June 30, at the Showgrounds Pavilion, this will indeed be a demanding change for our small but enthusiastic group of volunteers. 

The Heart of the Hinterland Gala Dinner was conceived to honour our wonderful community – its friendly nature, its generosity, its heart. So, everyone will need to “watch this space” as further information will be shared in future weeks. 

This will be your chance to really let your hair down, dress up and see what the Heart of the Hinterland Gala Dinner involves! And all in aid of supporting our little hospital and our fabulous community! If any readers would like to join the Maleny Hospital Auxiliary, please contact: president@malenyhospitalaux.org.au.