Community Health Services

Author

Shire of Broome

Place Number

05368

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Location

12 Anne St Broome

Location Details

Cnr Walcott St

Other Name(s)

Broome Hospital Nurses' Quarters
Commonwealth Health Laboratory

Local Government

Broome

Region

Kimberley

Construction Date

Constructed from 1959, Constructed from 1967, Constructed from 1938, Constructed from 1960, Constructed from 1976, Constructed from 1955, Constructed from 2000

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type	Status	Date	Documents	More information
Heritage List	Adopted	28 Aug 2018
State Register	Registered	02 Sep 1998	Register Entry Assessment Documentation	Heritage Council

Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations

Type	Status	Date	Documents
(no listings)

Other Heritage Listings and Surveys

Type	Status	Date	Grading/Management		More information
Type	Status	Date	Category	Description	More information
Municipal Inventory	Adopted	28 Aug 2014	Grading A	Grading A A place of exceptional cultural heritage significance to Shire of Broome and the state of Western Australia, that is either in the Heritage Council of Western Australia’s Register of Heritage Places, or worthy of consideration for entry into the Register. A place worthy of recognition and protection through provisions of the Shire of Broome’s Town Planning Scheme. Recommend: Maximum encouragement to owners to retain and conserve the place. Full consultation with property owner prior to making the recommendation.
Municipal Inventory	Adopted	28 Aug 2018	Grading A	Grading A A place of exceptional cultural heritage significance to Shire of Broome and the state of Western Australia, that is either in the Heritage Council of Western Australia’s Register of Heritage Places, or worthy of consideration for entry into the Register. A place worthy of recognition and protection through provisions of the Shire of Broome’s Town Planning Scheme. Recommend: Maximum encouragement to owners to retain and conserve the place. Full consultation with property owner prior to making the recommendation.

Statement of Significance

Commonwealth Health Laboratory (fmr) is significant for its associations with medical research and health services in the Broome district. It represents an uncommon example of concrete construction and interwar development in Broome.

Physical Description

Commonwealth Health Laboratory (fmr) comprises 3 single storey buildings: former laboratory, animal house and toilet block. All are situated in the grounds of Broome Hospital. The buildings are reinforced concrete structures with hipped corrugated asbestos/cement roofs, although the Animal House is rendered and painted concrete with corrugated iron roof. Conversion to Nurse's quarters included partition walls to create more rooms, construction of bathroom in former storeroom, verandah enclosure and alterations to toilet block.

History

Constructed as a diagnostic and research laboratory for doctors, it had an associated animal house and toilet block. The laboratory was a larger version of the Darwin Health Laboratory (1933) and was opened in July 1938 by Dr R. K. Gray. It was involved with work on the outbreak of malignant Tertian Malaria at Fitzroy Valley and the incidence of leprosy in the northwest, but by the early 1950s there was little requirement for a laboratory in Broome. The Broome District Medical Officer used the place as a residence for several years, and in 1955 it was converted for use as hospital Nurse's quarters. In 1959, the animal house was converted for use as quarters for hospital domestic staff and a laundry was added in 1962. The Nurse's quarters were upgraded in 1967 and the water tanks and tank stands were removed. In 1975-76, the former laboratory was refurbished for use as Community Health Services. It has provided community health care since that time and is of particular importance to the Aboriginal community in the areas of preventative medicine and child health care.

Integrity/Authenticity

Moderate degree
Moderate degree

Condition

Good

References

Ref ID No	Ref Name	Ref Source	Ref Date
	Heritage Council assessment documentation
	Heritage and Conservation Professionals	Former Commonwealth Health Laboratory Broome

Other Reference Numbers

Ref Number	Description
No.2	MI Place No.

State Heritage Office library entries

Library Id	Title	Medium	Year Of Publication
2988	Former Commonwealth Health Laboratory Broome	Heritage Study {Cons'n Plan}	1998

Place Type

Individual Building or Group

Uses

Epoch	General	Specific
Present Use	HEALTH	Other
Original Use	GOVERNMENTAL	Other
Other Use	HEALTH	Office or Administration Bldg

Architectural Styles

Style
Inter-War Art Deco
Inter-War Stripped Classical

Construction Materials

Type	General	Specific
Wall	TIMBER	Other Timber
Wall	BRICK	Other Brick

Historic Themes

General	Specific
SOCIAL & CIVIC ACTIVITIES	Community services & utilities

Creation Date

19 Feb 1997

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

13 Oct 2020

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.