History of ‘Yvonne’: 75 Campbell Street, Queanbeyan
Built as the Johnston family home in 1908. Mary Johnston registered her home as a lying-in (birthing) hospital in 1910. In 1926, she extended the house by a further four rooms. In the 34 years that “Yvonne” operated as a birthing hospital, some 1,700 babies were born here.
The last baby was born here in November 1944 and Mary Johnston converted the home into a boarding house which she managed until her death in 1948. Three generations of the Johnston family have lived here until 1980. Since that time, the home has had only 3 other owners.
Name
The name “Yvonne” was chosen as a pun, which was common at the time the house was built. The name “Evon” was the combination of two family names “Eva” & “Johnstone”. The spelling was then converted into a real name “Yvonne”.
A separate video showing the house can be found here: http://youtu.be/qxp0sy4fejw
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