Culture Victoria
Royal Children's Hospital Archives

The Archives Department functions as the corporate memory of the Royal Children's Hospital. The hospital was one of the first in Victoria to recognise the need for managing its historical records and established a part-time Archivist position in 1982. The Archivist also provides advice to internal departments on the retention, disposal and storage of administrative records in accordance with the Public Records Act. The department is supported by an advisory committee.
The Archives continues to be an invaluable resource to a wide range of both internal and external researchers. Many of these resources were pulled together by Dr. Peter Yule to publish a substantial history of the hospital in 1999. (available from the RCH Auxiliaries shop) and by Margaret McInnes in 2006, with her comprehensive history of nursing at the RCH (also available from the RCH Auxiliaries Office). The latter publication includes a comprehensive list of all trained nurses who graduated from the former RCH training school (1890-1987).
Another important role of the Archives Department is to maintain a register and control the movement and maintenance of the hospital's valuable artworks and cultural assets collection.
Our Collection
The archival collection consists of administrative records of the hospital executive, nursing administration and training records, complete sets of annual reports of both the hospital and affiliated groups such as research, auxiliaries and volunteers, biographical material on a large number of medical, nursing and executive staff, a wonderful photograph collection of over 12,000 images, oral history tapes and some historical films and videos.
The RCH Historical Room, used extensively for meetings within the hospital, houses a small museum collection of artefacts and a selection of photographs and other memorabilia for which the Archivist is responsible.
Organisation Location
There are 51 Organisations nearby
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- Australian Children's Folklore Collection
- Australian Conservation Foundation Archives
- Australian Red Cross, Victoria, Archives
- BirdLife Australia
- Burke and Wills Environmental Expedition
- Centre for Contemporary Photography
- Co.As.It. Italian Historical Society and Museo Italiano
- Grainger Museum University of Melbourne
- Legion of Mary Inc Melbourne Senatus
- Melbourne Museum
- Melbourne Zoo
- Museums Victoria
- National Archives of Australia - Victorian Office
- Print Council of Australia Inc
- Public Record Office Victoria
- Royal Melbourne Hospital Archives
- Russian Ethnic Representative Council of Vic. Inc
- The Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria
- The Victorian Mental Health Library
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research Archives
- Tracy Maund Historical Collection
- Trinity College Cultural Collections
- Ukrainian Arts & Craft Museum
- University of Melbourne Archives
- University of Melbourne Herbarium
- University of Melbourne Map Collection: Rare and Historical Maps
- University of Melbourne Rare Books - Brownless Medical Library
- University of Melbourne Rare Books - Earth Sciences Library
- University of Melbourne Rare Books - East Asian
- University of Melbourne Rare Books - Legal Resource Centre
- University of Melbourne Rare Books and Special Collections, Baillieu Library
- University of Melbourne, A.G.M. Michell Engineering Collection
- University of Melbourne, Architecture & Planning Library Rare Materials Collection
- University of Melbourne, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre
- University of Melbourne, Bionic Ear Archive
- University of Melbourne, Classics and Archaeology Collection
- University of Melbourne, Classics and Archaeology Library
- University of Melbourne, Earth Sciences, F.A. Singleton Collection
- University of Melbourne, Electrical Engineering Education Museum
- University of Melbourne, Faculty of Music Musical Instruments Collection: Rare and Historic Examples
- University of Melbourne, Harry Brookes Allen Museum of Anatmony & Pathology
- University of Melbourne, Ian Potter Museum of Art
- University of Melbourne, Malcolm Fraser Collection
- University of Melbourne, Print Collection, Baillieu Library
- University of Melbourne, Property and Campus Services Photographic Collection
- University of Melbourne, Surveying and Geomatic Engineering Collection
- University of Melbourne, The School of Physics Museum
- University of Melbourne, Tiegs Zoology Museum
- University of Melbourne, Veterinary Science
- Women's Liberation and Lesbian Feminist Archives