Thanks everyone who took up my request and offered good advice. My grandfather died in Bundoora Hospital which was the mental asylum attached to Heidelberg Repat. He suffered a series of strokes, caused by 'shrapnel on the brain' - according to my grandmother. I guess remnants of shrapnel could have sat there for some years before 'shifting' and causing damage. A mental hospital would be the only place for them to be managed in those days. This hospital is now the Bundoora Homestead Art Gallery and will be worth a visit. I might just as well go over to the Austin Hospital and find the memorial chapel and gardens. Haven't been to Heidelberg since the late fifties, early sixties when I used to go to dances at the Heidelberg Town Hall. Nurses from the Royal Melbourne Hosp. got in for free!! Thanks again, Judy. Perth.W.Australia

Judy and the group, I have previously sought medical records similar to your interest without result via FOI, you might have more luck. Certainly, the NAA WW1 records will reveal his service records and abbreviated medical information. I believe that Bundoora Hospital would have been Laurundal - Mont Park - Plenty Hospital all on the East side of Plenty Road Bundoora, these are all now closed. This group of Psychiatric Hospitals and out buildings was the centre of Melbourne's Psychiatric care establishment, (apart from Kew Asylum) it was on at least 100 acres and possibly a hundred buildings. Now, (I believe) the main buildings remain and the rest have been removed for a very large housing estate. This housing estate was established in about 2000. On the West side of Plenty Rd Bundoora across the road from Laurendal etc there was another Hospital possibly (definitely) for War related issues. I can't remember its name and it was removed in about 1992. Given that Laurundal was across the road, I'm guessing, that it too, was a Psychiatric establishment. It's possible he was either at this place or across the road. Both would have relationships with the Repat Hospital. If your Gdad was initially at the Repat (a few K's from Bundoora in West Heidelberg), he would have been initially at a place called the duckboards on the north side of the main Hospital, it became a car park. The main hospital was for work and the Duckboards were for convalescing after the work!!!!. The Duckboards were army huts with timber interlinking pathways between them, I'm guessing that they were named from the similar structures on the floors of the trenches and between the guns in WW1-France. I do have a small historical book on Laurundal etc, I can scan it if you like. Regards Ian Ex, Bio Med, @ BECC, PANCH, A&RMC, Laurundal etc ________________________________________ From: aus-vic-goldfields-bounces@rootsweb.com [aus-vic-goldfields-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Judith Acaster [jude.a@iinet.net.au] Sent: Saturday, 16 April 2011 11:44 AM To: AUS-VIC-GOLDFIELDS@rootsweb.com Subject: Military Records Heidelberg Repat. Hospital Thanks everyone who took up my request and offered good advice. My grandfather died in Bundoora Hospital which was the mental asylum attached to Heidelberg Repat. He suffered a series of strokes, caused by 'shrapnel on the brain' - according to my grandmother. I guess remnants of shrapnel could have sat there for some years before 'shifting' and causing damage. A mental hospital would be the only place for them to be managed in those days. This hospital is now the Bundoora Homestead Art Gallery and will be worth a visit. I might just as well go over to the Austin Hospital and find the memorial chapel and gardens. Haven't been to Heidelberg since the late fifties, early sixties when I used to go to dances at the Heidelberg Town Hall. Nurses from the Royal Melbourne Hosp. got in for free!! Thanks again, Judy. Perth.W.Australia ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to AUS-VIC-GOLDFIELDS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message