In 2025 a contingent of homeopaths and friends took a road trip to visit the New Norcia monastery. This was undertaken to bring the journey of homeopathy in WA up to the present time.
Our secretary, Catherine Angel, wrote this report of that trip which is featured in the AHA National newsletter October 2025. Catherine’s report shows a larger view of events due to having seen firsthand the diaries and the correspondences. It is also mentioned in The Chimes October 2025 Vol.25 No.7 which is the Newsletter of the Benedictine Community of New Norcia and is mentioned on this web page as a testament to the continuing collaboration with the New Norcia monastery and the committee of the WA branch of the AHA (https://www.newnorcia.com.au/)
After more than a year of preparation for our New Norcia visit in September it was a successful day out. The adventure began when the bus wouldn’t start so we had to hire a a smaller bus with vehicle back up. There was plenty of time to chat on the way there and back, which is always valuable. 13 attended the day where we were greeted by Peter Hocking the archivist, near the the Abbey church where Fr. Robert, the monatery’s master pianist, played to us on the pipe organ built for a cathedral and later performed some of his own compositions on the piano. The music set a wonderful tone for the rest of our visit.
On to the Archives with Peter to view some of the historical records indicating the earliest recorded use of homoeopathic medicine in Western Australia. This occurred in 1846 where the monastery was establishedby Dom Rosendo Salvado a Benedictine monk. Peter produced a wonderful selection of documents illustrating the use of homoeopathic medicines written by hand in Spanish. Interestingly the paper sheets were small, writing was smaller as candlelight and paper of the era were both scarce resources.
In 1853 Bishop Salvado’s diaries describe a gift from Cadiz. Mr. Arrigunaga donated three big trunks one with a little box of homoeopathic medicines. Various notes in Dom Salvado’s diaries record homoeopathic use. An excerpt describes ongoing orders in the 1890’s from London of Belladonna, Arsenicum, Aconite and Bryonia shipping crews eye trouble remidied with Pulsatilla, burning itchy spots resolved with Arsenicum, one of the Brothers’ blood-tinged sputum resolved with Arnica. Peter discussed the contact the monastery had with Florence Nightingale who also helped to fill the Monastery’s orders over the years and diaries documented supplies from Bath in the U.K., Rome and Spain. Medicines and books also arrived from Naples and Sicily 1866. Medicines (soaking globules) were requested by Br. Doroteo during the measles epidemic in 1883 which spread from Albany to York, Perth, Fremantle and Rottnest Island. 
The Monastery was measles free during this time. Many documented accounts of the successful use of homoeopathic medicines increased as the years went by possibly due to the training and experience of their use and increase in supply. The diaries note that remedies were used when allopathy failed. Both Fr. Robert and Peter Hocking were presented with a working homoeopathic kit each.
After lunch we headed off to the museum to view the historical collection of homoeopathic medicines discovering also the interesting history of Australia’s only Monastic town.
