Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Who is going to use the building when it is ready?
Who runs the Old Bega Hospital?
What happens out there?
It's a community centre. Several community groups use the Old Bega Hospital - weavers, potters, beekeepers, community radio station. They use the buildings that weren't burnt down in the 2004, and the grounds. See 'What's On'. The main building (picture above) was burnt out in 2004 (picture on the home page) and it has been unusable since.
Who is going to use it when it is ready?
That's up to the community. The Reserve Land Manager will restore the building and get an occupation certificate from Council. It will be a 'bare bones' restoration, for the community to adapt and fit out as it wants, a blank canvas for the community to work on. We are expecting a range of community and cultural groups - anything from artists in residence to help for refugees - to use the building and grounds for short term hire, medium term licence or long term lease. Unlike community halls and the Civic Centre in Bega, the Old Hospital will be a centre for community groups to call home: to keep their stuff, do their thing, run their events, sell their produce, interact with each other; much more than a place for a meeting or a performance. Food vans will provide food and coffee to keep things going. A centre for our region’s identity, a place where we celebrate our past, nurture our community and dream about our future.
Why did it take so long?
In one word, money. For many years there just weren't any grants programs with the right objectives and the right levels of funding. We could get small grants for repairs, and even an offer of $0.5m if we could find the rest of the funding required, but we just could not get big money for the big restoration. That began to change when parts of the proceeds from the sale/lease of the NSW government owned electricity assets were earmarked for Regional NSW. The Department of Environment and Heritage gave $100,000 to draw up architectural concept plans, get a professional costing and develop a business plan. The Regional Cultural Fund looked promising (we applied for $3m) but it fell through. Then the Regional Community Development Fund came good with $3m, and Crown Lands topped that up with a further $0.5m. Detailed planning commenced, and then we got the revised costing: more money required. Bushfire funding was on offer, for community recovery and resilience. We applied for $1.5m from the NSW Bushfires Local Economic Recovery program but that didn't work out. Then the Commonwealth offered the Black Summer Bushfires Recovery fund. That did work out, and that's how we got to where we are today. History of the restoration.
Who owns the Old Bega Hospital?
The building and grounds are owned by Crown Lands, i.e. directly by the NSW government. The Hospital is not owned by Council and Council doesn't manage it. Back in 1888 when building the Old Hospital began, the land was part of the Bega Common. The rest of the Common has since been hived off by Crown Lands, part to the Bega Cemetery, most to private landholders. Most of the surrounding land is zoned economic support or industrial. The Old Bega Hospital is heritage listed under the Local Environment Plan, and that has to be taken into account in assessment of development applications.
Who runs the Old Bega Hospital?
While Crown Lands owns it, day to day running of the Old Bega Hospital is by the Old Bega Hospital Reserve Land Manager. That is run by a board. And the board is just a bunch of people from the Bega community who put their hands up and volunteered to do it, free of charge, gratis. The Minister for Crown Lands selects the board, and appoints members for a 5 year stint. So it is sort of community, sort of government. The Friends of the Old Bega Hospital is a regular incorporated community group that everyone can join. It raises funds, and generally supports the Reserve Land Manager.
Why wasn't it insured?
At the time of the fire in 2004, the building was owned by the NSW government and the government did not have a scheme for insurance of its assets. Crown Lands, the owner, didn't insure the building. It did ask the Reserve Land Manager to insure it commercially, but there was never any chance that the Reserve Land Manager could fund the premiums for commercial insurance of such a valuable but ancient building. Every annual report advised Crown Lands that the building was not insured. Most Crown Lands assets were in the same position, and following the 2004 fire, Crown Lands finally worked out that it had a serious problem. These days all Crown Lands properties, including the Old Bega Hospital, are insured directly by Crown Lands through NSW Treasury.