On 15 October 1981, Mother Teresa of Calcutta was a special guest visitor to Mater. Her pastoral visit was a highlight of the Golden Jubilee for Mater Children’s Hospital. Since opening fifty years earlier in 1931, Mater Children’s Hospital had become integral to the paediatric healthcare landscape in Queensland.
On 12 December that same year, the new Mater Adult Hospital, built entirely with $34 million in government funding, was officially opened. Then Premier of Queensland, The Hon. Mr Joh Bjelke-Petersen spoke at the opening along with Mater Public Hospitals Senior Administrator, Sr Angela Mary Doyle RSM, and Deputy Premier and Treasurer, The Hon. Dr Llewellyn Edwards.
The original Mater Adult Hospital was renamed the ‘Whitty Building’ in honour of Mother Mary Vincent Whitty.