Repatriation Commission Outpatient Clinic


The Repatriation Commission Outpatient Clinic at 310 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Australia, is an Art Deco building of architectural and historical significance as the only remaining Repatriation Commission Outpatient Clinic or Commonwealth building built for the health and wellbeing of the original Anzac's.
Significantly the building was constructed for the Anzac's of World War I nearly 20 years after the end of the war. The clinic subsequently supported the wellbeing of veterans of World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War. The Australian veteran community consider it a sacred place due to the connection to the suffering of veterans returned from those wars.

Post-World War I

In 1936 the Repatriation Commission took control of a parcel of land on the corner of St Kilda Rd and Coventry St from the Department of Defence to construct a facility to address the needs of the large population of World War I veterans.
'The out-patient clinic, which is at present within the Branch Office on St. Kilda-road, Melbourne, is so congested that no longer can the conditions be allowed to remain, and plans have been prepared for the erection of an out-patient clinic on a site made available by the Defence Department. All preliminaries have been hastened and an early commencement of the work of construction is anticipated.'
'With increasing numbers requiring out-patient treatment, the accommodation at the Branch Office in St. Kilda-road was inadequate. Men suffering from all types of disabilities, many of them accompanied by their wives and children, had to sit in a basement waiting room. Another inconvenience through lack of space was the necessity for accommodating two medical examiners in each of the small cubicles built as examination rooms. These disabilities, together with other factors, made it imperative that better conditions should be provided. It was decided to erect a new out-patient clinic, the building embodying the latest facilities, including air conditioning, single rooms for medical examining officers, and a large general waiting room.'
On this site the Repatriation Commission Outpatient Clinic was built adjacent to Victoria Barracks, Melbourne, it was opened on 15 November 1937, to provide a greater level of care to veterans. The building was designed by George Hallendal, under the supervision of Commonwealth Works Department Director, H. L. McKennall. Within months of opening as many as 400 prescriptions were being administered daily.
The design of the Repatriation Clinic created some controversy with Sir Arthur Streeton criticising the use of brown brick in contrast to the established bluestone brick of Victoria Barracks.

Original functional spaces

The Repatriation Commission 1938 Annual Report to the Australian Parliament the Commission stated 'The Repatriation Clinic opened in St. Kilda Road, Melbourne, in November, 1937, now provides satisfactory conditions for those patients whose ailments need out-patient supervision and treatment. All modern facilities except those which can only be provided in large centres, e.g. Deep X-ray and Radium Therapy, are available at this institution. The Commission is gradually adding to the therapeutic armament at its institutions, so that the medical staffs will not be handicapped in their efforts to aid their patients... The spacious warmed waiting hall has proved a great boon to the patients, and the improved conditions for the medical and other staffs are greatly appreciated.'

Post-World War II

Up to 250 veterans visited the clinic each day. An extension was added to the building in the late 1940s for a war neurosis clinic, designed by D. B. Windebank.
Based on the success of the addition of the neurosis clinic in 1950 the Minister for Repatriation, Senator W. J. Cooper, and the Repatriation Department, planned to establish outpatient clinics for psychiatric treatment in all capital cities.
Since the Clinic was opened the Australian Red Cross maintained a canteen where tea, coffee and biscuits were provided. As many as 25 volunteers ran the canteen on a non-profit basis to support and comfort the veterans waiting for their appointments. Between 200 and 250 where served by the Red Cross on a daily basis between 10am and 4pm.
The Repatriation Clinic ceased operations in 1980 and was handed back to the Department of Defence. From this point it was used as the Maintenance Engineering Agency, now the Land Engineering Agency, until December 1995. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works considered a proposal in 1993 to repurpose the building into its original purpose as the Defence Health Care Centre at a cost of $1.3million, which was not approved. The former Repatriation Clinic has been reportedly vacant since 1999 while the MEA newsletter No's. 66 and 67 indicates the last organisation to occupy the Repatriation Clinic moved out in 1995.
On 15 November 2017, the 80th Anniversary of the opening of the Repatriation Clinic, Senator Derryn Hinch moved motion no.563 in the Senate to acknowledge the event and the significance of the clinic to the wellbeing of the veteran community while Victorian Member of Parliament, Tim McCurdy, acknowledged the milestone in the Parliament of Victoria.

The Clinic's Future

After the Clinic had been sitting vacant for nearly two decades, the Shadow Minister for Veterans Affairs, the Hon David Feeney MP, delivered an adjournment speech to the Australian House of Representatives on 26 March 2015 expressing his support for the proposal raised by the ex-service organisation and veterans charity, the Australian National Veterans Arts Museum to turn the "unused building back to its original glory and once again help aid in repatriating our returned soldiers back into the community through the use of art rehabilitation". Within two months, on 6 May 2015, the Department of Defence added the Repatriation Clinic to its Disposal Program.
The Australian Labor Party released a policy on 17 June 2016 to turn the clinic into an Australian National Veterans Arts Centre following lobbying by ANVAM.
In the same year the Department of Defence indicated the former Repatriation Clinic would be sold that attracted some political and media attention. Later the Department of Defence indicated negotiations were underway to transfer the property to the State Government of Victoria. A nomination was submitted to Heritage Victoria for the listing of the Repatriation Clinic on the Victorian Heritage Register. A report was prepared for the Victorian Heritage Council in May 2017 noting that "The Former Repatriation Outpatients Clinic has a special association with returned service personnel from conflicts since World War I. For present day returned personnel, the place provides a strong emotional connection to past veterans and their experiences of war trauma and disability". The report was not considered by the Council pending the outcome of the sale process.
A Change.org petition undertaken by ANVAM during 2017 to "Save the WW1 Heritage Building at 310 St Kilda Rd to Help Veterans" attracted over 13,600 signatures supporting ANVAM's proposal to return it to the veteran community as a cultural centre for veterans wellbeing.
The Hon Amanda Rishworth MP, Shadow Minister for Veterans Affairs, restated the Australian Labor Party's commitment to dedicating the property for veterans arts in April 2017.
As part of its community engagement program, ANVAM worked with RMIT interior design students in 2017 to envision potential designs for the Clinic as a cultural institution with some projects presented online.
The future of the property was first raised in Senate Estimates by Senator Derryn Hinch on 1 March 2017 and further discussed or raised through questions on notice on the following dates:
In its response to Questions on Notice from the 30 May 2018 Senate Estimates, Defence indicated the sale is progressing in accordance with the Commonwealth Property Disposal Policy. Defence also indicated the site was surplus to Defence requirements.
On 20 March 2019 the Assistant Minister for Defence, Senator David Fawcett, instructed the Department of Defence to progress the sale of property. When asked by Jon Faine on ABC Radio Melbourne on 25 March 2019, the Hon Darren Chester MP, Minister for Veterans' Affairs, indicated he was supportive of the initiative to establish a cultural institution for veterans wellbeing but unaware of the decision to sell the property despite his ministerial appointment. Senator Fawcett reversed the decision on 28 March 2019 prior to caretaker period for the 2019 Federal Election commencing on 10 April 2019.
As an expression of tri-party support the three primary candidates for the Division of Macnamara in the 2019 Federal election, Josh Burns, Kate Ashmor and Steph Hodgins-May, publicly endorsed the initiative to create a cultural institution for veterans wellbeing during a community forum on 16 April 2019.
The Hon Amanda Rishworth MP, Shadow Minister for Veterans Affairs, released the Australian Labor Party's 2019 election veterans policy re-stating that "it is a site of significance for many in the veterans' and ex-serving community" and committing to its future for the benefit of the veteran community in 10 May 2019.

Veterans War Service

Veterans who attended the Repatriation Clinic between 1937 and 1975 for medical and allied health support saw service in the following wars:
Notable veterans who attended the Repatriation Clinic: