Roy Spagnolo is not the kind of man who waits for someone else to solve a problem. Growing up in Griffith, he understood something that city people rarely had to think about.
When you get sick in the country, you don’t just call a cab to the nearest hospital. You pack a bag, uproot your family and drive to Wagga or Canberra and maybe even fly to Sydney.
For years, that was simply the reality until a group of remarkable people decided it didn’t have to be.
The vision goes back decades before a single brick was laid. Ray Gamble had spent the better part of forty years fighting for better health services in the region, starting on the Griffith Hospital board in the early 1980s.
He understood that regional health services were too large but underfunded. That seed, planted by Mr Gamble, would take root in Roy. When the Pioneer Lodge came up for sale, Roy and local winemaker John Casella moved quickly to buy the land.
It was then transferred to Griffith City Council specifically to build a private community hospital adjacent to the existing Griffith Base Hospital so public and private health could work side by side.
In 2009, Roy began what would become more than a decade of work. Alongside the Casella family, Bill Calabria AM, Simon Camilleri and the guiding memory of Ray Gamble, he lobbied governments, organised fundraising events and worked to secure an operator.
The total target was $10 million. Federal funding came through minister Simon Crean. The community did the rest — raising more than $1 million in cash while the Casella and Spagnolo families contributed nearly $300,000 in fundraising on top of donating the land itself, valued at $1.7 million, to Griffith City Council.
The operator Roy had always had in mind was St. Vincent’s Health.
Many Griffith residents had long been making the journey to St. Vincent’s in Sydney’s Darlinghurst for specialist care. Roy now proposed bringing part of that relationship home.
Shanthini Naidoo, CEO St Vincent’s Curran Foundation, worked with Roy for twelve years through the hospital’s development and says his contribution was unlike anything she had encountered from a community advocate.
“Roy was absolutely fundamental to helping us navigate the landscape of Griffith and the Griffith community,” Ms Naidoo says.
“His relationships across such a broad spectrum of people in business, community groups and individuals was the guiding hand we really needed to ensure we engaged with the community in the right way.
“Roy didn’t just talk the talk. He actually put his shoulder to the wheel to help us put on events, get the right people in the room and facilitate the discussions we had to have.”
What set Roy apart, Ms Naidoo says, was a rare combination.
“It’s the combination of his warmth and his ability to engage people at all different levels, with that enthusiasm he has, but without losing focus on what the actual business outcome needs to be.
“He’s utterly charming, genuine and still focused on the detail. He carries people with him without losing sight of what needs to be achieved.”
Construction was led by Joss Group, with MODE Design Corp as architect.
The $18.8 million facility opened on 24 September 2016 with 20 overnight beds, 20 day-surgery places, two operating theatres, a sterilisation department serving both hospitals plus the Baiada Murrumbidgee Clinical Teaching and Learning Centre.
It became the only St. Vincent’s hospital in Australia to carry the word “Community” in its name.
“Without that community ownership model, I don’t think we’d be where we are today,” says Gabrielle Wood, General Manager and Director of Clinical Services.
“Because the community owns this asset, we’re able to reinvest continuously.
That’s Roy’s doing. He fought for that structure and it’s what makes the growth possible.”
Five years in, when the hospital needed to prove its long-term sustainability, Roy stepped up again.
“That’s where he really stepped to the fore,” says Ms Naidoo.
“His guidance and advice in helping us re-engage the community. That was vital to where we are now, celebrating the tenth anniversary in September.”
Today the hospital serves the entire Murrumbidgee region, with visiting specialists covering cardiac care, orthopaedics, cancer services, and more.
“What Roy proved is that a regional community can drive its own healthcare future,” says Ms Wood. “That’s the model. That’s what people should take from this.”
Ten years on, Roy is already deep into planning the anniversary fundraiser and still making sure Griffith gets what it deserves.
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LATEST NEWS
Rocco (Roy) Spagnolo discusses the Spagnolo family's involvement in the
development of the St. Vincent's Private Community Hospital in Griffith, NSW
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The Spagnolo Family have lived and thrived in Griffith for many decades, taking every opportunity to invest in the local
community
Rocco (Roy) Spagnolo is a civic-minded Griffith resident who has invested in Griffith community projects for many years. Rocco, through his accountant company Roy Spagnolo and Associates, has ensured local pride and civic duty are foremost in the the decisions the company makes each and every day.
Creating Opportunities for Griffith and her Residents is Foremost in our
Decision Making Process at Roy Spagnolo and Associates - Rocco (Roy) Spagnolo
Rocco Spagnolo believes all communities are wise to encourage local investment into their regional towns. This encompasses all manner of activities, from training and hiring the next generation of professionals at his accountancy firm right through to investment in local infrastructure and community projects.
The Development of the Griffith Hospital is an Outstanding Achievement for the City
Rocco and the Spagnolo family see the development of the St Vincent's Private Community Hospital as an amazing resource for the people of Griffith and surrounds.
A recent interview with Rocco highlights the incredible path the hospital development undertaking went through and the final result, being the opening of this world-class care facility.
For generations, people across Griffith and the wider Riverina accepted that
serious illness often meant leaving home.
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Rocco (Roy) Spagnolo and his family recognised the immediate need for a hospital facility in Griffith to help local residents and, indeed all who call the Riverina home
The Spagnolo family have called Griffith home for several generations and actively engage in community-centric projects to help their fellow residents thrive
Rocco graciously sat down to re-visit some of the life-changing projects and community activities undertaken by the family over the past years in Griffith. The first project discussed is the St. Vincent's Private Community Hospital
Specialist Health Treatment in Regional areas of Australia
can be hard to Access - Rocco (Roy) Spagnolo
“People don't always understand what regional families go through,” says Rocco Spagnolo. “When someone needs specialist treatment, it's not simply a doctor's appointment.
“It can mean travelling hundreds of kilometres, taking time off work, finding accommodation and being separated from family. We believed our community deserved better.”
Mr Spagnolo says that belief became the driving force behind one of Griffith's most significant community projects.
“The vision actually started long before construction began,” Rocco says. “Ray Gamble had spent decades fighting for better regional health services. He planted the seed that eventually grew into the hospital we see today.”
That Opportunity Arrived when Pioneer Lodge Became Available
“When the site came onto the market, we knew we couldn't let it pass,” Mr Spagnolo says.
“Together with the Casella family, we purchased the land because we believed it should be used for something that would benefit the whole community.”
Rocco says the land was later transferred to Griffith City Council to enable a unique partnership between public and private healthcare, with the new hospital built alongside Griffith Base Hospital.
“That decision changed everything,” Rocco says. “It gave Griffith the opportunity
to create something very few regional communities have achieved.”
Over the next decade, Mr Spagnolo worked alongside the Casella
family, Bill Calabria AM and many other local supporters
to raise funds, lobby governments and secure an experienced
healthcare operator.
“This wasn't one person's project,” Rocco (Roy) says. “It belonged to the whole community. Governments played their part, businesses stepped up, volunteers worked tirelessly and local people backed the vision from day one.
“The community raised more than $1 million, while the Federal Government committed $14.5 million towards the project.
“The Casella and Spagnolo families donated land valued at $1.7 million and contributed almost $300,000 through fundraising initiatives.
For Rocco, there was only one preferred operator.
“Many Griffith families were already travelling to St Vincent's in Sydney for treatment,” Mr Spagnolo says. “We believed bringing that relationship to Griffith would give people confidence from the very beginning.”
Shanthini Naidoo, Chief Executive Officer of the St Vincent's
Curran Foundation, Worked alongside Rocco Throughout
the Hospital's Development
“Mr Spagnolo was absolutely fundamental to helping us navigate the landscape of Griffith and the Griffith community,” Ms Naidoo says.
"His relationships across such a broad spectrum of people in business, community groups and individuals was the guiding hand we really needed to ensure we engaged with the community in the right way.”
“Rocco didn't just talk the talk. He actually put his shoulder to the wheel to help us put on events, get the right people in the room and facilitate the discussions we had to have.”
Rocco says his Greatest Contribution wasn't Simply Raising Money
“I like to bring people together around a common purpose,” Mr Spagnolo says. “I want to earn trust, keeps people engaged and never loses sight of the bigger picture. That's a rare quality.”
When St Vincent's Private Community Hospital Griffith officially opened in September 2016, it included overnight beds, day surgery, operating theatres, a sterilisation department serving both hospitals and the Baiada Murrumbidgee Clinical Teaching and Learning Centre.
Rocco says: “It also became the only St Vincent's hospital in Australia to include the word ‘community’ in its name.
“That word matters because this hospital belongs to the people who believed in it.”
Gabrielle Wood, General Manager and Director of Clinical Services, says that
Community Ownership Continues to Shape the Hospital Today
“Without that community ownership model, I don't think we'd be where we are today,” Ms Wood says.
“Because the community owns this asset, we're able to reinvest continuously.
“That is what Mr Spagnolo is doing. He fought for that structure and it's what makes the growth possible.”
Five years later, as the hospital looked to demonstrate its long-term sustainability, Rocco once again helping bring the community together.
“That's where he really stepped to the fore,” Ms Naidoo says.
“His guidance and advice in helping us re-engage the community. That was vital to where we are now, celebrating the tenth anniversary.”
Looking back, Mr Spagnolo sees the Hospital as Proof of What Regional
Australia can Achieve
“This community has always believed that if something needs doing, you roll your sleeves up and get on with it,” Rocco says. “That's exactly what happened here.”
“This isn't just Griffith's hospital story.
“It is a blueprint for regional Australia. It proves that when a community works together with determination, generosity and a shared vision, extraordinary things become possible.”
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