The Martin Family Auditorium at The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital’s new state-of-the-art Education Precinct will be a space in which current and future leaders in eye and ear health will educate, learn, and collaborate.
The development of the auditorium was supported by a generous legacy gift made through the M, L and ADP Martin Fund, a bequest fund of Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation.
Dr Catherine Brown OAM, Chief Executive Officer of LMCF, spoke at the official opening of the auditorium and officially cut the ribbon. “Congratulations to The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital. We were both honoured and very pleased to be able to provide a grant to support this project from the M, L and ADP Martin Fund. Mr Arthur Martin would be incredibly proud of how we have been able to apply his incredible gift for the future of medical learning in Melbourne.
“I’m quite passionate about the specialist eye and ear services and the research the hospital undertakes which is internationally recognised. It’s where all the eye and ear specialists receive their education and training.
“Arthur’s daughter Lyndal Martin was studying optometry at the time of her premature death. The naming of the Martin Family Auditorium is such a beautiful legacy for the Martin family,” she said.
Brendon Gardner, CEO of the Eye and Ear, said the auditorium is the centrepiece of the new Education Precinct, which also contains a surgical skills training lab, collaboration space, boardroom and a library.
“Philanthropy has been at the core of the Eye and Ear from its very beginning 160 years ago when founder Dr Andrew Sexton Gray established the Eye and Ear Infirmary after he was overwhelmed by the number of people seeking treatment but unable to pay.
“Philanthropy has paved the way for many great medical advancements at the hospital, including the development of the Bionic Ear. Thanks to Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation and the Martin Family, we now have this stunning new facility to continue to train and educate future generations,” he said.
Photo caption: Dr Catherine Brown OAM cuts the ribbon to officially open the Martin Family auditorium at The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital. The ribbon is held on either side by Brendon Gardner (Hospital CEO) and Danny Mennuni (Hospital CFO).