On page 14 of the Weekender section of today’s Newcastle Herald, there is an article about the Lambton Park Tea Rooms (situated at the north west corner of Lambton Park) in which it is stated …
“Originally built in 1935 as a war widows refuge, the building became the Lambton Memorial Baby Health Clinic in the ’70s.”
I don’t know where this ‘information’ came from, but unfortunately it is wrong, wrong, and wrong.
- It wasn’t built in 1935
- It was never a war widows refuge
- It was always a Baby Health Clinic, from the time it was constructed in 1947.
Aerial photography from 1944 shows the site of the former baby health centre to be empty.
A quick search of Trove shows that baby health centre was …
- Proposed in October 1944
- Building plans were adopted in May 1945
- Approved by Greater Newcastle Council in February 1946
- Approved by the Minister for Labour and Industry in May 1946
- Being constructed in March 1947
- Nearing completion in September 1947
- Officially opened on 29 November 1947
Newspaper articles
| Article Date Event Date | Notes |
|---|---|
| 27 Oct 1944 | "Lambton, committee of National Fitness has made preliminary plans for a baby health centre to be built by voluntary labour. A sub-committee last night decided to ask Greater Newcastle Council to have set apart portion of Lambton Park for the building." |
| 3 May 1945 | "The sub-committee of Lambton National Fitness Committee handling arrangements for the building of a baby health centre adopted building plans submitted by Ald. T. Armstrong. It was decided to name the proposed centre the Lambton Memorial Baby Health Centre." |
| 18 Jan 1946 | "Ald. T. Armstrong, at Lambton National Fitness annual meeting last night exhibited plans tor the Lambton baby health centre, for which Greater Newcastle Council had decided to call tenders." |
| 28 Feb 1946 | "Greater Newcastle Council last night adopted a recommendation from the Finance Committee for erection of a baby health centre at Lambton." |
| 31 May 1946 | "Except for the brick ornamental fence, Greater Newcastle Council's proposal for a baby health centre at Lambton has been approved by the Minister for Labour and Industry (Mr. Hamilton Knight.)" |
| 28 Mar 1947 | "The Baby Health Centre now being erected on Lambton Park, facing Elder-street, is almost completed." "The centre will serve as a memorial to the men of Lambton and surrounding districts who served during the war." |
| 1 Sep 1947 | "Lambton Memorial Baby Health Centre, nearing completion in Lambton Park. It will be one of the most modern centres in New South Wales. The equipped building will cost about £3000. The Health Department is bearing half the cost. The remainder will be paid by Greater Newcastle, helped by a residents' contribution of £500." |
| 27 Nov 1947 29 Nov 1947 | "The Lord Mayor (Ald. Quinlan) will open Lambton Memorial Baby Health Centre on Saturday, at 3 p.m."
"Three bronze tablets-two memorial tablets for the entrance gates, and a dedication tablet for the front of the building - were bought by the committee." |