Construction of the new Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH)

Whenever I catch the train past the construction site of the new Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) I always find it fascinating to watch the impressive collection of machinery and am always in awe of the sheer size of the site. The new RAH is scheduled for completion by 2016 and will have 800 beds. It is replacing the existing hospital which was built in 1840. An interesting addition to the hospital will be the co-located South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) resulting from the $200 million funding from the federal government back in 2009. SAHMRI has a vision to translate science into health and a mission to improve quality of life through medical research.

While all of this is very exciting and will no doubt have a real measurable impact through translating science into benefits to the community, socially and economically, there is also another story. This week a Victorian era 24-karat gold ear-ring set with rubies was discovered at the site. What an amazing find; and, we may well never know how the ear-ring came to be buried in a bottle under 3 meters of soil. this is not the only artifact unearthed at the site. Archaeologist, Dr Keryn Walshe of the south Australian museum has been documenting the unearthed treasures which have included crockery, soda bottles, glass beads, combs, pipes and even children's toys.

It will be a real boost to South Australia to have the new RAH and the new SAHMRI facility completed. It is a huge step in the right direction for Australia, and South Australia, in progressing from being the "lucky" country to the "smart" country; and, it also shows that not all benefits to a state have to come from the mining sector. No doubt the new hospital and medical research facility will still be going strong long after all the iron ore and uranium has been pulled out of the ground.