Two new roads surrounding the new Cranbourne Community Hospital have been named in honour of local healthcare pioneers.
Birman Drive honours Dr Sam Birman, a much-loved GP who cared for Cranbourne families for more than 50 years.
Lehman Lane recognises sisters Norah and Aileen Lehman, nurses who served their community and their country with distinction.
Members of the Birman and Lehman families joined City of Casey Mayor Cr Stefan Koomen, Deputy Mayor Cr Michelle Crowther, Cr Gary Rowe, Cr Jennifer Dizon and representatives from Monash Health on Wednesday 10 December to officially open and celebrate the naming of the roads.
The names mark more than new streets in a growing health precinct. For the families behind them, they represent generations of service to the Cranbourne community.
Sisters Norah Lehman and Aileen Lehman were born in South Australia and moved to Clyde in 1913 with the family.
Both sisters trained at the Melbourne General Hospital (now the Melbourne Royal Hospital), and they were among the earliest Australian nurses to serve overseas during World War I.
The sisters enlisted in the Australian Army Nursing Service in 1915 and served in Egypt and on the Western Front in France. They cared for Australian soldiers evacuated from Gallipoli and later wounded in major battles, including Mont Saint-Quentin.
Norah was later awarded a Mention in Despatches for her outstanding service and returned to Cranbourne in 1919 as matron of the Cranbourne Emergency Hospital during the Spanish influenza pandemic, while Aileen became an infant welfare nurse at a very early stage for the establishment of the infant welfare centres.
Both sisters were later awarded gold medals and certificates by the Cranbourne Patriotic Association and are listed on local honour rolls, recognising their lasting impact on the district.
James Best, a descendant of the sisters, said the family was thrilled that the road naming had happened.
“It’s so appropriate being outside that new hospital where my great aunt was matron of the equivalent of that hospital over a hundred years before,” he said.
“We were celebrating people who had made a wonderful contribution and were embedded in the community there.
“It puts the present in the context of the past and heads us towards the future.
“The present gives you a sense of pride in your community and an understanding of the background.”
Nearby, Birman Drive honours the late Dr Sam Birman, whose name remains synonymous with Cranbourne’s medical and community life.
Dr Birman moved to Cranbourne in 1969 with his wife Lili, establishing a surgery in Codrington Street when the town was still largely rural.
His son, Paul Birman, said his father was pretty much the only doctor serving Cranbourne and the surrounding communities, such as Koo Wee Rup.
Paul recalled that his father always provided 24-hour medical services.
“He was constantly driving out. At all hours of the night, he’d get calls, whether it was delivering babies or someone was sick,” he said.
“It wasn’t just a nine-to-five job for my father.
“The patient was always absolutely the most important part, and he just wanted to make sure everyone was well and looked after.”
Beyond his medical practice, Dr Birman was deeply involved in the community. He served for four decades with the Cranbourne Turf Club, rising to vice-president and earning life membership.
He was also a long-serving member and president of the Cranbourne Rotary Club, receiving Rotary’s highest international honour, the Paul Harris Fellow Award.
Dr Birman was also a club doctor for the Dandenong Football Club during its VFA years and later for St Kilda at VFL level, providing medical care from grassroots sport through to the professional game.
“One of the great things is to be a son and to be able to never be disappointed and look up to your father in that manner,” Paul said.
“And it wasn’t just me. Constantly, people remember him and say how important he was in their lives.
“I’ve had numerous people come up and say, he saved my life on this occasion, or he saved my child’s life on this occasion.
“It’s very humbling. It makes you very proud.”
Paul said the road naming was a much-deserved honour.
“My father wasn’t the kind of person who sought accolades or those kinds of things. He had a very calming and quiet demeanour, which you probably want from a doctor, and he was remembered for that, just being able to bring people together as well,” Paul said.
“The road naming came at a time when my father had passed away, and we were missing him.
“It was incredible to get such an honour in such a meaningful way because he spent so much time of his life, not only his professional life, but community life through the Turf Club and through Rotary.
“The fact that it’s in an area that was so dear to his heart, and also that it’s associated with the hospital, is incredible.”
Casey Mayor Cr Stefan Koomen said it is exciting to be acknowledging some of the local history in this way.
“This isn’t just about naming roads, it’s about recognising and celebrating a chapter in our city’s story,” he said.
“Dr Birman and the Lehman sisters gave so much to this community, and now their names will live on as part of Cranbourne’s future.
“These roads make it easier to reach the hospital, but they also remind us of the incredible people behind our health services in this new health precinct. It’s a proud moment for Cranbourne.”
