This is the third historical building the trust has bought and this one is the old hospital where thousands of Southlanders were born.
Troopers Memorial Charitable Corner Trust was established by a group of volunteers in 1998 with a purpose of upgrading and restoring heritage buildings in the central business district of Invercargill.
Their first restoration project was the former Bank of New South Wales building in Dee St and their second was Yule House in Ness St.
The trust finalised its ownership of the three buildings that make up the hospital, including a porter’s lodge, on March 22, after "paying a princely sum of $160,500".
Secretary Joan Scarlet considered the project, "a rebirth of the Southland community".
The building has a category one historical listing, as it is New Zealand’s oldest public hospital building, so "it was a construction of national importance".
"We anticipate that the public will come out and support this initiative, just as they have done with the others, because it’s not just a building, it’s the place where they started their lives.
"It’s where their families came into the world so there’s a personal connection with the place," Trust deputy chairman Bruce Moher said.
Regardless of how long this restoration project would take, the Troopers Memorial Charitable Corner Trust had high hopes and great plans for the building.
A medical facility, a creche, offices and hospitality spaces were all possibilities for the restoration of the former Queen Victoria Hospital, he said.
- By Nina Tapu
