Western Australians are being invited to share their photographs, memories and experiences of Perth’s Princess Margaret Hospital via a unique digital time capsule.
The hospital closed its doors to patients in June 2018 following the opening of the new Perth Children’s Hospital, 109 years after it first began caring for local children and families.
The former hospital site is being demolished and remediated as part of the Subi East project, which will create a vibrant inner-city village between Subiaco and the Perth CBD and generate 2,700 new jobs during construction and an estimated 660 jobs once complete.
Early works commenced at PMH in August, with major demolition to begin in early 2021.
In recognition of the significance of Perth’s first children’s hospital, the time capsule project will allow the community to share their experiences via a unique online format.
Named after the original fundraising campaign for a children’s hospital – started with three pennies donated by a little girl in the late 1890s – the ‘Penny for Your Thoughts’ time capsule will allow people to visit a dedicated website to embed their memory onto a virtual penny.
The virtual pennies will be stored on an external hard drive and enclosed in a time capsule that will be buried in a planned reflection space in the former PMH neighbourhood of Subi East.
The digital format means anyone with an emotional connection to PMH from anywhere in the world will have the opportunity to contribute.
The capsule will be opened in 109 years, reflecting the number of years PMH provided an essential service for Western Australia’s children and families.
To find out more about PMH ‘Penny for Your Thoughts’, and submit reflections and images, visit
As stated by Planning Minister Rita Saffioti:
“Over more than a century, the dedicated doctors and nurses at Princess Margaret Hospital cared for generations of Western Australian children and families.
“That vital work and support is now carried on at the Perth Children’s Hospital, but the legacy of PMH is very much a part of the fabric of our State and our community.
“That’s why we’re launching the ‘A Penny for Your Thoughts’ initiative that enables anyone who has an emotional connection to PMH to become a part of its history by sharing memories and experiences via a unique digital time capsule.
“These virtual pennies will be stored on an external hard drive and enclosed in a time capsule, to be buried in a reflection space on these grounds and opened in 109 years – the amount of time PMH served our community.
“Reflecting and respecting that legacy for generations to come is top of mind as we work with DevelopmentWA to deliver the new Subi East inner-city village.”
