The town water supply was finally connected to the Bega Hospital during 1940, and being softer than the well water, was expected to save money in water softening treatment costs.
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Early September each year was set aside for Hospital Day with donations of cakes, eggs or any foodstuffs, but especially eggs when the chooks were beginning to lay after a winter lay off.
Whether or not to keep the cows or buy the milk for the hospital was discussed by the board. Mr Filmer said it would be better to contract for the supply of milk.
"The cows at present in use were insufficient to supply the needs of the hospital, and they took up a lot of the time for the wardsman. They got in around the buildings creating a mess, and their droppings encourages flies, which were a real nuisance. They had also eaten plants in the rockery."
The treasurer, Mr Cantwell, said that Mr Dicker's figures the cost of buying milk would be three pounds 10 shillings a week, and as it cost practically nothing to keep the cows, there would be a distinct loss in doing away with them. Mr Blomfield suggested subdividing the grazing area into small paddocks and to keep on with the cows, and the board so resolved. Acceptance of a tender of £2035 pounds for the new full wave X-ray plant was made in 1941.
Jack Graham remembers when he was a patient that "there was one day set aside for doing all the operations like tonsillectomies. As yet, there were no flyscreens on the building. They'd bring the children back from having their tonsils out and put them in an adjoining verandah called the overflow. The kids would be lying there with blowflies on their open mouths and blood smears. I put in time just standing there, waving the flies off, to the horror of the staff. The staff did their best under the prevailing circumstances - things were a lot tougher then."
It was these conditions that caused the hospital board to seek the provision of a new hospital and the chairman, Walter Smith, met with the local member and the Minister for Health and told them that the hospital, although modernised over the years, was no longer adequately serving the needs of the community.
Records show complaints of babies being placed in boxes. The hospital was also having trouble in attracting staff to what was rapidly becoming an obsolete hospital, surviving only because of the loyalty of the matron, nursing staff, doctors and the hospital board.