The medical superintendent and medical officers were expected to live on the grounds of Mayday Hills Psychiatric Hospital in staff homes that were large enough to accommodate their families. The superintendent’s home, built in 1906, was located opposite the main administration building. It was a large house of timber construction, with a veranda to the north and east sides and rectangular projecting bay windows.
The medical superintendent served as the chief psychiatrist and held the critical responsibility of overseeing patient care from the moment of admission. This role included conducting initial examinations for all incoming patients and recording detailed diagnoses, treatments and medications, all of which were documented in patient files.
Each morning, the superintendent led ward rounds alongside their medical team, ensuring close monitoring of patient progress and addressing any clinical needs. In addition to these daily duties, the superintendent was also tasked with preparing an annual report tabled in Parliament, which provided an overview of admissions, discharges, accidents, escapees and deaths.
It was a common practice for senior staff to use patients for domestic help, gardeners, odd jobs and babysitters in their households. For example, read stories from Ronald, Nick, Ralph and Sharon about their experiences with patients. Read about another patient Ada, who lived in the superintendent’s home working as the family’s domestic servant.
La Trobe University
The superintendent’s residence was demolished in 1977 to make way for the Kerferd Clinic, a facility specifically designed to provide short-term psychiatric care. Built at a cost of over $1 million, the clinic marked a significant investment in modernising mental health services.
Mayday Hills officially closed its doors in 1995, and in the following year, La Trobe University acquired the property to establish its Beechworth campus. The University refurbished the Kerferd Clinic building to create the George Kerferd Hotel, with a conference centre, bar and bistro facilities, along with a swimming pool. A hospitality course was run at the campus for a few years and then much of the site was mothballed until it was sold to a private owner in 2012. However, the George Kerferd Hotel continued to operate throughout this time.
In 2023 the George Kerferd Hotel was sold to a new owner and was renamed the Grand Oaks Resort and has its own “little Beechworth’ chapel.
Opposite the Grand Oaks Resort is an Information Board and QR code that links visitors to the Mayday Hills and Beechworth Cemetery Virtual Tours website and Blog Posts – Mayday Hills
* The information board is funded by Public Record Office Victoria – Local History Grants
- Photograph courtesy of Karen (nee Donnan) private family album. c.1956
- Photograph courtesy of Don Hayes – https://beechworthhistorytimeline.com
- Photograph courtesy of Conservation Management Plan prepared for La Trobe University by Lovell Chen, 2012.
- Photograph courtesy of Grand Oaks Resort
Written by Dr Alison Watts, Adjunct Lecturer at Southern Cross University.
See Alison’s full bio here
Explore the Beechworth Cemetery Virtual Tour
Explore the Mayday Hills (formerly the Beechworth Asylum) Virtual Tour
