Catherine Hamlin Park brings her story home to Ryde
October 19, 2026
What is the Catherine Hamlin Park?
- Catherine Hamlin Park is a new community recreational space in Macquarie Park, Sydney, named in honour of Dr Catherine Hamlin, who grew up in Ryde.
- Opened on 19 October 2026, the park celebrates her local roots and her lifelong work to restore health and dignity to women in Ethiopia.
On a beautiful spring day in Macquarie Park, Catherine Hamlin Park officially opened in honour of Dr Catherine Hamlin AC.
More than seven years in the making, the park celebrates Catherine’s connection to Ryde, where she grew up, and her life’s work restoring health, dignity and hope to women in Ethiopia.
An place for the Ryde community
At 45 Waterloo Road, Catherine Hamlin Park gives families, local workers and the wider community space to relax, meet and play. It includes outdoor exercise equipment, event space, seating, a barbecue area, public artwork, a kick-about space and an amenities building.
The project was jointly funded by the NSW Government grants and the City of Ryde.
Mayor Trenton Brown (pictured above with Karen Foard) said the park would help meet the growing need for open space in Macquarie Park. “This will be a wonderful place for local families and workers to relax and play and it helps to fulfil our promise to build thriving and connected communities, not just houses,” he said.
He added: “I’m particularly pleased that in creating this new space we have been able to acknowledge a truly iconic and inspirational local woman.”
From Australia to Africa
Catherine grew up in Ryde with her parents and five siblings. She spoke fondly of her childhood in what was then a semi-rural part of Sydney – climbing trees, riding horses and spending time in the expansive garden her mother planted. That garden later inspired the setting she created at Hamlin’s Addis Ababa hospital.
“It is particularly meaningful that this park is here in Ryde, where Catherine spent her childhood and where her remarkable journey began,” said Karen Foard, Global Head of Fundraising, Marketing and Communications at the Catherine Hamlin Fistula Foundation. “Growing up in this community, few could have imagined that the young girl from Ryde would go on to become one of Australia’s greatest humanitarians.”
After studying medicine at the University of Sydney, Catherine and her husband, Dr Reg Hamlin OBE, travelled to Ethiopia in 1959, intending to stay for just a few years. Instead, they found a calling that would define the rest of their lives.
For more than 65 years, Catherine dedicated herself to restoring health, dignity and hope to women living with obstetric fistula, a devastating childbirth injury. The hospital she and Reg established grew into a healthcare network that now includes six specialist fistula hospitals, the Hamlin College of Midwives and Desta Mender, a rehabilitation and reintegration centre for women with complex injuries.
More than 82,000 women have received free treatment through Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia.
Catherine’s legacy extends beyond medicine. “She believed every woman deserved to be treated with kindness, respect and dignity,” said Karen. “Those values continue today through Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia and the thousands of Ethiopian staff who carry her vision forward every day.”
Students keep Catherine's story alive
Students from Marsden Park Anglican College joined the opening. Established in 2004, the College named one of its sporting houses in Catherine’s honour.
At today’s opening, the students performed Keeper of Hope – the Wakakirri piece they created earlier this year to tell Catherine’s story through dance, drama and movement. It traces her journey from a young girl growing up in Australia to becoming a world-renowned humanitarian. Wakakirri Ambassador Samuel McKeown II described the performance as “a moving tribute to Dr Catherine Hamlin and her life-changing mission to restore dignity and hope”.
The College was also named State Award Winner (Secondary), making it the only secondary school in New South Wales to receive a State Award this year.
A legacy for future generations
Karen reflected on what it might have meant to Catherine to see her childhood community honour her in this way: “I think she would have been both humbled and delighted to know that generations of families, children and community members will gather in a park bearing her name.
“Despite a lifetime spent in Ethiopia, her deep love of Australia never faded. And that young tomboy from Ryde would be absolutely thrilled to know that a little corner of her childhood home has been dedicated to her.”
She also spoke about the work that remains: “The greatest tribute we can pay to her is to continue supporting the mission she began: ensuring that every woman has access to safe childbirth and the dignity and care that Catherine believed every human being deserves.”
Catherine Hamlin Fistula Foundation acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Elders past, present and emerging throughout Australia and the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Traditional Owners of the land and waterways on which our Australian office is situated. We acknowledge the many ethnic groups in Ethiopia and their ancestral and cultural connection to the land where our work is undertaken.