Your partner in health for more than 100 years

On the 4th of January 1906, our founders, the Sisters of Mercy, made history when they opened the very first private Mater hospital situated on Brisbane’s North Quay. It had just 20 beds and treated 141 patients in its first year.

But from small beginnings come great things. More than one hundred years on, our extensive network of hospitals and healthcare services reach far and wide, enabling us to support and care for tens of thousands of people.

Now, working together under the banner of Mater, we’re writing the next chapter in our history. By connecting our unmatched resources and expertise across health, education and research, we’re delivering new services in new ways and empowering you to make better choices about your health every day.

Want to learn more about our story and the inspirational people who helped to shape and define our tradition of care?

Visit Mater History

Sisters of Mercy

The Sisters of Mercy were founded by an Irish woman, Catherine McAuley, in 1831. At the age of 44 Catherine came into a sizeable inheritance and used it to establish a house for the poor in the centre of Dublin in 1827. Catherine resolved to find new ways to help the needy. In December 1831 she was professed as a Religious Sister and founded the Sisters of Mercy to ensure the continuation of the works she initiated as a laywoman.

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Archives and Heritage Centre

The Mater Archives and Heritage Centre in Brisbane is open to all Mater staff, researchers and members of the public.

The centre collects and preserves records and artefacts that tell the story of Mater, from the foundation of the first Mater Private Hospital by the Sisters of Mercy in 1906 to the present day.

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