A little bit of info re the Hawkesbury Benevolent Society........I have cut & pasted it from a research essay I did for a uni assignment a few years ago.....so hope it makes sense.....The Hawkesbury Benevolent Society was responsible for running the Hospital (variously named Windsor/Hawkesbury Hospital/Asylum which was located in Macquarie Street, Windsor. The building which was renovated in 1911 was used as the main Hawkesbury Hospital until the 1990s when a new building was built opposite. The Old hospital & site was purchased by Hawkesbury City Council and was extensively renovated last year. It is to be leased out. The new library for Hawkesbury will be estabished on the land adjoining the new hospital. At a meeting which took place on the 31 December 1818, the Hawkesbury Benevolent Society was established with the "sole object of which shall be the support and relief by voluntary contributions of all real objects of charity within the districts of Windsor, Richmond, Wilberforce, Portland Head and Pitt Town". On the 11 January 1819 the first committee were elected consisting of William Cox, Reverend Robert Cartwright, James Mileham, John Brabyn, Archibald Bell, John Jones, Henry Baldwin, Thomas Pitt & George Hall. The Committee was appointed to conduct business consisting of members of the clergy, magistrates of the said districts and four landholders from each district. Formal rules and regulations were drawn up and the committee was to meet monthly. "Feeling the necessity of forming some permanent relief in aid of the poor, aged & infirm" the committee resolved an annual subscription plus a voluntary subscription of horned cattle commence. The Society hoped to assist families distressed from floods and poor persons identified from the district. Land was granted by Governor Macquarie, a kindly benefactor, for cattle pasturage& additionoal land was granted including 500 acres at Currency Creek; ten acres each at Wilberforce and Windsor. These lands were used to raise & sell cattle, the profits going to the Hawkesbury Benevolent Society projects. In 1836 the society built an ASYLUM located in Brabyn Street, Windsor to house the local infirm and paupers. This building was demolished in 1914 when a new building was built adjacent. After a number of years of discussion the abolition of transportation of convicts occurred in 1840. With the termination of convicts to the eastern coast of Australia, a myriad of questions presented themselves to the government including the impending closure of convict and military barracks plus convict hospitals that still existed at Windsor, Bathurst and Goulburn. The Governor was keen for these establishments to be substituted for Hospitals to be run by voluntary organisations similar to those in England. He particularly mentioned Windsor & the existence of the Hawkesbury Benevolent Society. The society took over the running if the hospital but it was not made official until 1844. When the hospital was given to the Society it was decided to house the asylum inmates from Brabyn Street and the hospital patients in the one building providing charity to the poor and sick on the one site, thus saving on running costs. The inmates were moved to the hospital and the old building was rented out. At one stage it was used as a school and later a hotel. PS If you are interested check the mailing list archives as I did an article on the 06 Apr 2002 re the Hawkesbury Benevolent Society Annual Reports. _________________________________________________________________ MSN 8 with e-mail virus protection service: 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus