Brando wrote:'Marj' hospital name dropped
Premier Mike Rann announced the backdown in a ministerial statement to Parliament
Ministerial Statement
Premier Mike Rann
Minister for Economic Development
Minister for Social Inclusion
Minister for the Arts
Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change
Wednesday, 18 February 2009
MARJORIE JACKSON-NELSON HOSPITAL
Mr Speaker, in June 2007 I announced that this Government will build a new hospital for all South Australians, to be opened in 2016.
This new $1.7 billion central facility will provide state-of-the-art infrastructure for patients and staff, and will launch medical care in this State into the 21st Century.
It will contain single-bed patient rooms with en-suites, which provide the best environment to avoid the scourge of modern-day health facilities – hospital-born infections.
It will be bigger than the current Royal Adelaide Hospital, with an expanded capacity in its emergency department and intensive care unit.
It will have more operating theatres, and theatres that are larger in order to accommodate the most modern equipment for a 21st Century hospital.
This new central hospital will be Australia’s leading hospital, providing all South Australians with the very best facilities and health care.
At the time of the announcement, I also revealed that the hospital would bear the name of Marjorie Jackson-Nelson, a beloved former Governor of South Australia.
Marjorie Jackson-Nelson is an Australian legend, and a revered Olympian.
She had won two Olympic gold medals, seven Commonwealth Games Gold medals and became the first Australian woman to win Olympic gold in athletics.
She set 13 world records and, in doing so, she massively boosted the profile and success of women’s athletics in Australia.
Last year in Beijing, she was bestowed with the International Olympic Committee’s highest honour – the Olympic Order - in recognition of a lifetime of maintaining the Olympic ideal internationally in all that she does
But this is not the only reason why we chose to name the hospital after her.
Marjorie Jackson-Nelson has been massively involved in fundraising for medical research for the past 32 years.
Her commitment began when – as a young wife and mother – she supported her husband, former Olympic cyclist Peter Nelson, in his long battle against leukaemia.
Following his death in 1977, and inspired by her husband’s struggle, she formed the Peter Nelson Leukaemia Research Fellowship to raise much-needed funds for cancer research.
She was determined to make a real and lasting difference in the fight against this disease that affects so many lives.
For more than three decades, she has been committed, selfless and tireless in her support for the work of researchers in finding a cure for cancer.
She has led a small group of volunteers who have raised $5 million, and which last year appointed their ninth researcher at the Hanson Centre for Cancer Research.
Marjorie Jackson-Nelson was appointed Governor of South Australia by former Premier, John Olsen.
She was sworn in at the time of Rob Kerin’s premiership, and she served in the Vice-Regal position with distinction for six years.
She has received Australia’s highest honour, the Companion of the Order of Australia, and during our nation’s Bicentenary celebrations she was named as one of only 20 living members of the “200 Great Australians”.
She has also been inducted into the International Women’s Hall of Fame in New York.
Naming South Australia’s new central hospital in her honour was a much-deserved accolade for a woman of such integrity, grace and who has contributed so much to public life in South Australia over so many decades.
However, the subsequent reaction to this decision was decidedly mixed.
It has ranged from strong support to some entirely negative commentary that has been deeply disappointing, and more than a little puzzling.
As I understand, there was no similar vitriol when the Playford Government named the major new hospital in our northern suburbs after the politician who established it, the former Health Minister, Lyell McEwin.
I cannot recall hearing snide remarks when the Roma Mitchell Performing Arts Centre, the Roma Mitchell Building or the Mitchell Oration were named after another wonderful and much-respected Governor, Dame Roma Mitchell.
No one argues with the public’s right to criticise government. There are no qualms about the merits of publicly debating the choice of the new hospital’s name.
That’s democracy in action.
But some of the attacks have been deeply personal, aimed at Marjorie and her contribution, rather than simply at our choice of her name for the new hospital.
Some of it was, of course, political and totally partisan.
Some of it was personal as well as poisonous; shameful as well as shallow, by people who will be long forgotten while Marjorie Jackson-Nelson’s reputation remains untarnished.
I will not lend undeserved credibility to that commentary by repeating it here today.
But I remind Members of the contribution made by the Member for Bragg, the Opposition’s spokesperson for Health, who said on June 12 2007, “You know, my husband died of cancer and I didn’t expect the Government to ring me and say, well we’ll name this the Vickie Chapman Memorial Hospital.”
Given these regrettable personal attacks, it is understandable that Mrs Jackson-Nelson has asked me that the hospital project proceed without the dedication in her name to avoid, in her words, controversy continuing about a project that can only benefit South Australia.
She has also respectfully declined the opportunity to honour her contribution to South Australia in some other way.
This is very disappointing but, of course, we respect and understand her wishes.
She remains one of our nation’s greatest athletes, one of our most inspirational volunteers, and one of our State’s most respected Governors and one of Australia’s most beloved citizens.
I am sure that the vast majority of South Australians will share my disappointment that the comments of a small but vocal minority have contributed to stopping this dedication to a woman who has given so much to our community over the course of her life.
As a result, I can now advise that the new hospital will retain the name The Royal Adelaide Hospital.
Work is already underway on the new site, and construction of the new hospital will start next year.
The new hospital – with the same name – will open in seven years time.
More importantly than anything, South Australians will have access to a new hospital that provides more beds, increased capacity, significantly improved infection control.
Mr Speaker, the hospital will be dedicated to those millions of patients who will benefit from it.
