From humble beginnings when it opened back in 1960 through to being known as Australia’s largest maternity service today, much has changed over the past 60 years for Mater Mothers’ Hospital, but it appears some things have stay just the same.  
 
The hospital welcomed Maree Lash (Carr) into the world as the very first Mater Mothers’ baby on  2 February 1961, surrounded by Sisters of Mercy, Sr. Winifred Johnson RSM, Wendy Ross and Sr Audrey Lucy RSM and presented with a silver cup to recognise the special moment.  
 
60 years to the day, Mater Mothers’ midwives and doctors gathered to embrace another extra special bundle of joy as Wendy Hall-Wood and Steven Wood welcomed baby Frederik Hall-Wood in the early hours of the morning, to recreate the historical image of Maree Lash (Carr)'s birth. 
 
“We didn’t know that Frederik was born on such a special day for Mater Mothers’ until the midwives let us know it was the 60-year anniversary since the very first baby was born here in the hospital,” Wendy said.  
 
“Mater Mothers’ has such a long history of care in Brisbane and we were so excited to play a little part in that on this special day. We couldn’t be happier right now and can’t wait to bring Frederik home to his two older sisters.” 
 
With both Maree Lash (Carr) and Frederik-Hall Wood both born in what the Mater Mothers’ midwives describe as the ‘wee hours of the morning’, the moment was fitting to both celebrate the hospital’s tremendous growth over the past 60 years’ and recognise its rich heritage that remains vibrant today.  
 
In the six decades following the very first baby born, Mater Mothers’ has since welcomed hundred of thousands of babies into the world, bringing an average of 10 000 little lives earth-side each year, making one in four Queenslanders Mater babies.  
 
Starting out with the original hospital on Mater’s South Brisbane campus, Mater Mothers’ services have since grown into a state-wide network of six maternity hospitals across Queensland, earning the title of Australia’s largest maternity service and establishing some of the country’s leading maternity services, including the Mater Centre for Maternal Fetal Medicine and Mater Mothers Hospitals’ Neonatal Critical Care Units.