Michael Gorey

I had a dream a few weeks ago which I discounted as being simply imaginary … until I saw an illustration on Tuesday that made me reflect.

In the dream I was in Mount Gambier sometime in the past. I needed to go to the hospital. I can’t recall why, either to visit someone or because I worked there.

The hospital wasn’t easy to get to. I had to climb a steep hill (in the rain); there were no cars. What stuck in my mind though was the image of the hospital.

It was like a cross between a cathedral and a castle — a long stone building with arches and turrets.

When I woke up I dismissed the dream as fanciful. Mount Gambier has a modern hospital that’s not on a steep hill. The old hospital looks nothing like the image I saw in my dream.

On Tuesday I met the chief executive of the health service in his office at the new hospital.

In the waiting room I inspected some prints of the original Mount Gambier Hospital, and it looked exactly like what I saw in my dream!

Apparently it was knocked down to build a larger hospital, which can still be seen today.

These articles might be of interest:

• GP shortage in Mount Gambier
• Arrival in Mount Gambier
• Clear Creek and Paddys Hill