Camden historian presents a paper on the beginning of Camden Cottage Hospital
In July 2025, Camden historian Dr Ian Willis OAM will present a conference paper on the beginning of the Camden Cottage Hospital at an international history conference.
The paper is called ‘Camden Cottage Hospital, the early days of a New South Wales rural hospital, 1899-1902’.
2025 Australian Historical Association Annual Conference
The conference is the 2025 Australian Historical Association Annual Conference, Looking Ahead, held at James Cook University in Townsville, Queensland.
The first time that Dr Willis presented at the Australian Historical Association Annual Conference was in Mildura in 2003, and he has regularly presented at these conferences since then.
These conferences are excellent networking events, providing an opportunity to catch up with colleagues, listen to papers from fellow historians, and explore emerging research trends in the field of history.
The topics that Dr Willis has chosen for these conference papers have primarily been on the history and heritage of the Camden area.
Local history is not a popular topic among university historians, and these conferences provide an opportunity to promote this area of research.
The paper I have chosen for the 2025 conference highlights a small aspect of Camden’s history that the broader historical community should be aware of.
Presentation Topic and Abstract
Australian Historical Association Annual Conference 2025
Co-hosted by James Cook University and Central Queensland University
Looking Up
30 June to 4 July
James Cook University, Bebegu Yumba Campus, Townsville
Paper Title
Camden Cottage Hospital, the early days of a New South Wales rural hospital, 1899-1902.
Abstract
The Camden Cottage Hospital was one of many small rural hospitals established in the 19th century across New South Wales. They played a critical role in developing the state’s rural health infrastructure and improving rural health.
The cottage hospital was established after an outbreak of scarlet fever by a local committee of notable men, including doctors, businessmen, and farmers. It was modelled on the English cottage hospital movement. Funding was based on subscriptions, donations, and government subsidies and, at times, could be precarious. Ultimately, the hospital’s success relied on community support. The hospital played a groundbreaking role in improving community health and well-being, and its history reflects the hardships of rural life.
Few hospital records from the early years are still in existence, and no patient records survive. This paper uses Trove’s online resources and local archives to construct a meaningful analysis of the hospital’s early years. The early history of the cottage hospital has provided a different, often overlooked, entry point into the study of a small community. The hospital’s foundation demonstrated how community resilience and cohesion functioned, giving a window into the town’s social networks and hierarchies.
This paper provides a model for those interested in community history and rural health. These topics are often quite nuanced, and unravelling their complexities takes patience and determination. The history of the Camden Cottage Hospital provides a valuable lens through which to examine the characteristics of a small community at the end of the 19th century.
Presenter Bio
Dr Ian Willis is a community historian and independent scholar. In 2019, he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his service to community history. He has an ongoing interest in medical humanities, as well as community and local history. He is currently the president of the Camden Historical Society.
Further reading
South West Sydney Local Health District 2012, Camden Hospital celebration – 110 years of caring. Health, NSW Government, Sydney. Online https://www.swslhd.health.nsw.gov.au/ccq/camden110/default.html
A J Guesdon 2018. Camden-Campbelltown Hospitals & Carrington Convalescent Hospital: a mona vale-Frenchs’ Forest Hospitals Comparison with Pittwater history Links. Pittwater Online News, October 14 – 20, 2018: Issue 379. Online https://www.pittwateronlinenews.com/Camden-Hospital-Some-Historical-Notes.php
Ian Willis 2019, ‘The Camden District Hospital Nurses’ Home’. Camden History. March 2019 Volume 4 Number 7, pp.286-289. Online https://www.camdenhistory.org.au/2019%20March%20Journal.pdf
Camden District Hospital 1936, ’38th Annual Report’, Camden News, 3 September. Online https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/140595330
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