De Garis House
Tucked away behind the Youang Surgery Centre, formerly known as Baxter House, stands a stately historic home. Originally built for one of Geelong’s most successful early doctors, Dr Stephen Smith, the house has long been part of the evolving story of healthcare in our region.
But it isn’t the building’s architecture or ownership I want to highlight in this week’s column, it’s the name it proudly bears.
De Garis House is named in honour of Dr Mary De Garis, a woman whose legacy deserves to be widely known and celebrated.
After serving as a war surgeon in Europe during WWI, Mary returned to Australia and, in May 1919, settled here in Geelong. Then a modest regional town Mary became the city’s first, and for more than two decades, only female doctor and obstetrician.
Operating from her rooms on La Trobe Terrace, which also happened to be her home, her presence was a quiet revolution in healthcare - offering Geelong women the opportunity to be treated by a female doctor for the very first time. In an era when childbirth was less safe, Mary provided expert medical care, reassurance, trust, and advocacy.
Mary’s impact extended well beyond her consulting rooms. She was a powerful voice in the campaign to rebuild the hospital and played a pivotal role in shaping its design - advocating for antenatal and postnatal care to be included in its services. It took seven years of tireless campaigning, but in 1931 the new maternity ward opened. With it, Mary’s vision of delivering maternity care to all women, regardless of income, became a reality.
From 1931 to 1941, Mary served as Medical Officer of the Maternity Ward, later becoming Honorary Consultant until 1959. During this time, she recorded over 1,000 births without a single maternal death.
As we look to the future, with construction now underway on the single largest investment in healthcare infrastructure in Geelong’s history, the new Women’s and Children’s, we remember and honour the trailblazers.
Dr Mary De Garis not only laid the foundation for maternity care in Geelong, she helped build a compassionate model of care.
That’s what’s in this name Dr Mary De Garis - a legacy that has shaped both the past and future of women’s and children’s health in our region.
Zoe Waters
Executive Director
Barwon Health Foundation
Dr Mary De Garis
