Ryde hospital’s chapel decommissioned If you have ever been a patient at Ryde Hospital in the past 35 years, chances are Christine Padovan has made your bed. The 67-year-old is one of two people who makes the beds, a job she has been doing since she was a teenager.
broader effort to modernise our hospital’s infrastructure to ensure that our spaces are aligned with the needs of today and tomorrow. “While the chapel will no longer exist as a physical space, our commitment to the emotional and spiritual wellbeing of our patients, families, and staff remains steadfast. We will continue to offer pastoral care, counselling, and other support services to meet these needs.”
Christine started working at the hospital in the kitchen when she was 15 but moved into the cleaning team and then as a bed-maker. Born at the hospital, Christine also married her late husband Ivan in 1973 in the chapel situated on the hospital grounds. She came to visit the chapel recently with her mother, Marie Vinci where they attended the last service to be held in the chapel. A new multi-faith room will be constructed as part of the hospital’s redevelopment, where anyone can come and reflect, pray or just enjoy some solitude. “I do go into the chapel and pray. When I am not so busy I like to go in there and think,” Christine said. Pastors from the Ryde local area came to commemorate the chapel which has played an important role in many patient and staff lives. Northern Sydney Local Health District Chief Executive Anthony Schembri said: “As we look to the future of our hospital and the changing needs of those we care for, we have made the difficult decision to decommission this chapel. This decision is part of our
Christine Padovan
NSLHD staff attend final Ryde chapel service
NSLHDNEWS | ISSUE 2| 14 FEBRUARY 2025
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