The History of Leahurst
Leahurst Home for Aged Trained Nurses was established in 1953 as a not-for-profit organisation for the provision of a home for elderly nurses and midwives who had worked and lived in a hospital environment most of their lives, having earned very little and often having no home or family to live with as many were unmarried. It also offered extended care for nurses and midwives. The home was first Incorporated in 1953 as ‘Manoah Home for Retired Trained Nurses Inc’. Funds were raised by nurses and midwives, as well as contributions from benefactors, the South Australian Government, and the Nurses’ Memorial Foundation of South Australia.
The Nurses Memorial Foundation of SA Inc also set up a Trust in 1989 to assist in extensive building work at the home and its rules were amended in 1953 and 1958 and its name changed to “Leahurst” in that time. Lea Hurst was the childhood home of Florence Nightingale. Additional rules were registered in 1954 and remained unchanged until 2019. The home for nurses and midwives was officially opened on 21st February 1958 by Lady George.
Gradually over the years, Nurses’ Homes attached to training hospitals closed and married nurses and midwives were allowed into the field of nursing and midwifery. Training and education changed from being hospital based to the tertiary college and university sectors, or vocational training for enrolled nurses. For Leahurst this meant that occupancy of the home was no longer filled by nurses and midwives only and the aged care facility eventually became open to the public. Priority was still given to retired nurses and midwives to provide accommodation and care for elderly nurses and midwives who may not have had families to care for them.
The low care home operated successfully at Magill until 2019, however, due to a government policy of home and community care for the aged, continuing low occupancy and small facilities becoming unviable to operate, the property was sold in 2019. The Leahurst Nurses’ Foundation Incorporated was then established in 2020 from the proceeds of the sale of assets with the objective of supporting the nursing and midwifery professions in South Australia. The foundation is run by a board of management to determine how best to support nursing students, midwifery students, nurses, midwives and the nursing and midwifery professions. The logo for the foundation was based on art drawn by a board member of the very large pepper tree at the home in Magill.
