It was 1992 when Wollongong anaesthetist Dr Stephen Bentley - and 11 of his colleagues - officially opened Wollongong Day Surgery.
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A risky venture at the time, the site at the corner of Crown St and New Dapto Rd, had become somewhat of a "white elephant" says Dr Bentley.
The three cottages that had once occupied the spot - one of which had been home to a young Anthony Warlow - had long been demolished and plans for a day surgery had stalled for several years.
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"After the builder went broke, and interest rates climbed to nearly 20 per cent, the site sat empty for years," Dr Bentley said.
"So 12 of us, mostly anaesthetists, all mortgaged our homes, got a huge bank loan, set up the day surgery and away we went, crossing our fingers and holding our breath.
"Thankfully it was a success, and it's gone from strength to strength."
On Thursday, Dr Bentley - still a visiting anaesthetist - was one of the special guests at the official re-opening of Wollongong Day Surgery after a $23 million upgrade.
Purchased by Healthe Care Australia in 2017, the remodeled facility has an additional two operating theatres (now four theatres in total), an expanded recovery space, two floors of medical consulting suites and two floors of parking.
The investment means an expansion of the services offered, which now include endoscopy, eye surgery, gynaecology, orthopaedics, urology, dental and dermatology.
CEO Marc Monsell said an additional 25 staff have been employed thanks to the upgrade, which has also attracted 15 extra specialist surgeons.
"There's clearly been demand here for a long time for additional day surgery services," he said.
"The day surgery has been here for 30 years and the facility was at capacity. Now we have doubled the capacity in our operating theatres, and can see an additional 500 patients a month.
"We've even been assisting the public hospital with the backlog of elective surgery due to COVID restrictions, and we wouldn't have been able to offer that prior to the expansion."
Wollongong Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery attended to the official ribbon cutting of the facility, and said it was an important part of the city's health precinct.
"It reminds us technology, and the application of technology in health, is something that's expanding at a great rate," he said. "We look forward to better outcomes in the health and well-being of our community."
Fertility specialist Dr Lionel Reyftmann is one who's enjoying the extra space.
"We had a very tiny space, so now we have a proper IVF clinic here which is fantastic as there's so much demand for these services," he said.
Patients have welcomed the new purpose-built facilities and staff too are enjoying settling in.
"I've been here for 17 years and it's always been a fabulous place to work, but now we have a beautiful new space to work in and to welcome our patients," nurse unit manager Narelle David said.
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