When the Griffith community gets behind an idea, Roy Spagnolo knows it is unstoppable.
And as St Vincent’s Private Community Hospital Griffith prepares to celebrate its 10th anniversary this year, Roy says the milestone is as much about looking forward as looking back.
“We built the hospital but you can’t just build something like this and think the job is finished,” Roy says.
“Medicine keeps changing. There are new services, new equipment and new things we can do here that we couldn’t do ten years ago.
“That’s what this next stage is about. It is about reviewing where we are and keeping it growing.”
On September 24, the community will come together at the Yoogali Club for the hospital’s 10th Anniversary Gala Dinner and to support its Nursing Excellence Campaign.
“The big thing is that we’ve been here for ten years and people can see what the hospital has become,” he says.
“Now we want to keep expanding the services and make sure we can continue giving people the best possible care here in Griffith.”
Roy knows all too well that this matters enormously in a regional community.
The key is for local people to be treated locally instead of always having to travel away.
“The more services we have, the more specialists we can attract,” Roy says.
“You’ve got the $250 million dollar re build of Griffith Base Hospital the public hospital, the private community hospital, the clinical training and other medical services around town.
“They all help each other. The idea is to keep building Griffith as a medical hub.”
The community is already responding.
“Griffith City Council and Rombola Family Farms are among those committing as Platinum sponsors, while L&M Pittari Transport and Multiquip are among businesses supporting the anniversary at Gold level.”
This is type of support what Roy has seen repeatedly over decades of fundraising in Griffith.
“Griffith is a good, strong town,” he says. “When something is needed, people help each other and stand together.
“That’s how the hospital happened in the first place.”
Likewise, Roy is particularly keen for the anniversary to encourage a new generation of local families and businesses into that tradition of giving.
“It shouldn’t always be the same people,” Roy says.
“Together it’s a lot easier. Everybody can do their part, whatever that might be.
“Hopefully you never need the hospital yourself but if you do, it’s here. And if you don’t, it might be here for your family, your friends, your children or their children.”
There are also opportunities beyond the gala, including longer-term pledges and naming rights for hospital rooms.
And Roy says people who have moved away from Griffith but retain strong connections to the region are just as much a part of the story.
“You don’t have to live here now to care about what happens here,” he says.
“This hospital belongs to the community. That was always the idea.”
For Roy, September’s anniversary is a thank you to the community, donors, businesses, families, nurses, clinicians and supporters who helped carry an ambitious regional idea through its first decade.
And it is very much an invitation to help carry generosity into the next generation.
“Griffith built the hospital,” Roy says. “Now we’ve got to keep adding to what it can do.”
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Roy (Rocco) Spagnolo Calls on Griffith to Back Hospital 10 Year Anniversary Gala
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Spagnolo Family Legacy Supports St Vincent's Private Community Hospital Griffith To Continue to Develop Services And Community Access
Roy Spagnolo looks to the hospital’s next decade
For Roy (Rocco) Spagnolo, the 10th anniversary of St Vincent’s Private Community Hospital Griffith is not simply an opportunity to look back at what the Griffith community achieved.
It is a chance to decide what comes next.
“We built the hospital but you can’t just build something like this and think the job is finished,” Mr Spagnolo says.
On 24 September 2026, the Griffith community will come together at the Yoogali Club for the hospital’s 10th Anniversary Gala Dinner, supporting its Nursing Excellence Campaign.
Keeping healthcare local in Griffith
Roy (Rocco) Spagnolo believes continuing to expand medical services in Griffith is critical for families across regional NSW.
“The more services we have, the more specialists we can attract,” he says.
Mr Spagnolo's vision is for Griffith to continue developing as a regional medical hub, supported by the private community hospital, Griffith Base Hospital, clinical training and other local medical services.
A call for Griffith businesses and families to get involved
Griffith City Council and Rombola Family Farms are among the Platinum sponsors already supporting the anniversary, with L&M Pittari Transport and Multiquip among Gold supporters.
Roy is now encouraging more Griffith and Australian businesses, families and former residents to become involved through sponsorship, Gala attendance, pledges and other opportunities to support the hospital.
It is a continuation of the Spagnolo family legacy of supporting the regional community that welcomed the family after their migration from Italy. Read more about the Spagnolo Family Legacy here.
“Together it’s a lot easier. Everybody can do their part, whatever that might be,” Roy says.
“Griffith built the hospital. Now we’ve got to keep adding to what it can do.”
Businesses and individuals interested in supporting the hospital’s 10th Anniversary Gala are encouraged to enquire about sponsorship opportunities or attending the Gala Dinner on 24 September.
St Vincent’s Private Community Hospital Griffith Prepares To Celebrate Its 10th Anniversary with Roy (Rocco) Spagnolo At The Helm.
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Mr Spagnolo says “We built the hospital but you can’t just build something like this and think the job is finished.”
“Medicine keeps changing. There are new services, new equipment and new things we can do here that we couldn’t do ten years ago. That’s what this next stage is about. It is about reviewing where we are and keeping it growing.”
While Roy (Rocco) Spagnolo reviews the future for St Vincent's Hospital, Griffith, the 10 Year Anniversary Gala is set for Saturday September 24th to celebrate the achievements since the hospital was built and raise support for it's Nursing Excellence Campaign.
“Griffith built the hospital,” Roy (Rocco) Spagnolo says. “Now we’ve got to keep adding to what it can do.”
Roy believes the more services the hospital provides the region of Murrumbidgee, the more specialists the hospital can attract resulting in more people able to be treated locally instead of having to travel far away from home to seek medical attention.
Roy Spagnolo is particularly keen for the anniversary to encourage a new generation of local families and businesses into that tradition of giving back to it's community. “It shouldn’t always be the same people,” said Mr Spagnolo.
There are also opportunities beyond the gala, including longer-term pledges and naming rights for hospital rooms to support St Vincent's Hospital Griffiths long term.
“This hospital belongs to the community. That was always the idea.” Roy says.
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