Sir Aaron Danks (1861 – ) medical, health and welfare provider
Aaron Danks was born in 1861 in Tasmania and was educated in Ross. He became a hardware merchant, working in the family business. He was a devout Methodist, interested in a range of medical/health/welfare issues. He was a committee member of the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research. Danks donated the site to the church for the Epworth Hospital.
Sir Aaron Danks was born in 1861 in Tasmania and was educated in Ross. He became a hardware merchant, working in the family business.
He was interested in a range of medical/health/welfare issues and became involved in various related institutions as a committee member such as the Royal Melbourne Hospital, the Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research and Children’s Welfare League. He also became a magistrate of the Children’s Court. A devout Methodist, Danks donated the site to the church on which the Epworth Hospital is located. He was knighted in 1925.
Epworth Hospital
In 1919 a donation of £6000 from Sir Aaron Danks allowed the Methodist Church to buy the property to house the Epworth Hospital. Epworth the birthplace of John Wesley, in England, was chosen as the appropriate name for a hospital, wherein the John Wesley tradition of “practical assistance to the sick” could be carried out.
Now with close to 42,000 admissions, more than 1500 staff members and 1200 accredited visiting specialists, Epworth Richmond is a leading healthcare provider in Australia.
Danks Hardware
Danks Hardware is now known as Home Timber and Hardware
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