The head of a co-op who helped keep the former Altona hospital site in community hands has received an OAM for service to the community of Hobsons Bay.
Altona’s Maree Duffield, a physiotherapist at Werribee Mercy Hospital heads up the Hobsons Bay Community Advancement Co-operative, operating from the old hospital building now known as the Louis Joel Arts and Community Centre.
She has been a board member since 1997 and formerly chaired Friends of Altona Hospital.
Ms Duffield said Dr Louis Joel started Altona’s “bush hospital“ in 1932 and it became a public hospital in the late 1950s before being closed in 1996 during the Kennett era.
“Werribee Hospital was closed around the same period,“ she said.
“I suppose the difference was that Altona Hospital’s origins were as a community hospital. There was always this strong community affinity with the hospital, so it was a real tragedy for the local community for a hospital just to be sold off – boom, gone.
“There was a very guttural community response that we needed to do something about this, and there was an incredible coming-together of many organisations – community groups, unions, local government, various state politicians, service groups – basically with the aim of keeping that beautiful beachside hospital site in community hands.“
Ms Duffield said it was an “absolute privilege“ to work at Werribee Mercy as a senior clinician in the Health Independence program.
“This service provides the most innovative and effective health outcomes for the people of Wyndham and surrounds,“ she said. “And I’m very proud to work here.“
She said the Queen’s Birthday honour was “a tribute to all the people I’ve worked with“.
