Australia’s Leading Disability Advocate and Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes AM stepped in to ask the New Norfolk Council to review allowing a Paranormal documentary involving the past residents of Willow Court and Royal Derwent Hospital, from being released. Robin Banks the Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Commissioner also is involved in looking at this issue and asking if this is insensitive to the point of being against the Discrimination Act.
An agenda item on the Council Website informed the Willow Court Advocacy Group of this disturbing news and started a number of actions and some busy after hours work. Connections with Advocacy groups and organisations are set in place so previous residents and people living with a disability can have a say how they are portrayed at Willow Court by the Council and any fringe groups.
Despite Australia’s leading Disability Advocate contacting the Derwent Valley Council’s General Manager yesterday, the Council tonight approved the documentary without seeking legal advise and commended a small fringe group on their documentary that dehumanises people who lived, died and suffered at Willow Court.
The method and way in which this film was made has been questioned and is still a subject of legal debate between members of the Friends of Willow Court and the Derwent Valley Council. The Council tonight were asked to clarify this position during question time and did not answer any questions.
Although Chairperson of the Willow Court Conservation Committee was contacted and informed, David Llewellyn stated that this was a dispute between the Friends of Willow Court and the Council. David Llewellyn announced that Willow Court is a “Site of Conscience” on ABC Radio on the 21st Oct 2012. This has left us wondering, what is his interpretation of a “Site of Conscience?”
Tonight another motion was past by Council and states that all future tours through Willow Court be charged money, which is to go to the restoration fund. This paths the way for the same fringe group who made the documentary to conduct Ghost Tours.
The Malcolm McDonald report has a plan not only to restore the buildings on the site, but also the people heritage and that can’t be achieved by portraying people in a dehumanising manner.
6 Comments
I have to ask why you people are so anti the documentary ??
And why the hate towards the, as you call it “fringe group” ?
From what I can work out, this is a huge positive for Willow Court. The more people who know about the site the better it is. It’s also raising money towards the site, which will help in renovations etc ….
If everyone was truly concerned about the site and its future and not back stabbing each other, none of this would be a concern.
I say, leave the personal bullshit behind and start focusing on Willow Court.
Hi Dave, I am amazed that you use the word hate and yet at no stage have we used that term, we are concerned that this film dehumanises people who had no voice at Willow Court and still don’t have after tonights Council decision, dispite the highest Disability Advocate in the land questioning the ethics of this! As for working for Willow Court, we have just arranged millions of dollars of advertisment, all positive.
Mark, In regards to your previous reply and Article, “Hate” is a good word to sum up you’re agenda against this Documentary.
At no stage have you or the Committee attempted to contact A.P.I.U in a civil manner to discuss concerns about the Documentary. Which in my eye’s shows that you are against this Documentary being released regardless of the content within, Which is backed up by the fact that you have judged a produced which you have never viewed.
It is obvious that myself and members of my team have a passion for the site, which many of the team also had family members that Worked, Admitted and unfortunately passed away during the operation of the hospital.
Since the idea of making a Documentary arouse we have always had sensitivity at the forefront of our mind, as have the Derwent Valley Council. We have been approved by the Council and state archives which should be proof enough that we have gone about this project in the current manner.
This Documentary has the opportunity to create much needed money for the restoration fund for Willow court which we have already committed 100% of the profits towards.
So instead of running a smear campaign and being negative how about you help Willow court move forward and create a positive image of the site as that is the only way the site will retain it’s former glory.
Regards
Aiden Sullivan
Hi Aiden,
Thank you for your comments, I would like to correct you though, I have seen the documentary. On another note, we don’t use emotive talk here as we find that is not part of a good debate. There is no doubt that you have a passion, but from all the action I have seen it is always directed at your paranormal hobby you enjoy. There are some people who have a different opinion than yours and it is ok to have this opinion and to have debate about this. A lot of this bitterness comes from you leaving the Committee; please remember you did that because you had free choice, unlike the people who appeared in your film. As for being approved, why not put this work to an independent disability group and see what they think? The State archivist and the New Norfolk Council are not Disability specialists.
Money raising for Willow Court can have ethics and not offend people living with a disability.
Cheers
Mark Krause
Unfortunately these comments have now been taken out of context and cut and posted on another site. The author has made serious allegations which will be handed to my legal advocate.
Cheers
Mark
Upon reading this article and the following comments, it is both obvious that both parties are passionate about progress on the Willow Court site.
I believe that word “dehumanisation” is absolutely wrong when used to describe the documentary.
After 100’s of hours wroth of review, editing, directing and narration, we considered the reaching implications of what we created and subsequently made the appropriate actions to neaten our film in a fashion that makes it acceptable for public airing.
After several meetings with Derwent Valley Council, and dozens of revisions upon request from the council and others, it has been tentatively approved, much to the disappointment of this website.
The footage used has been viewed by the State Archives and has also been approved for use, something that was raised as a potential issue for the documentary and has since been rectified.
In the article, it is mentioned that “The method and way in which this film was made has been questioned and is still a subject of legal debate between members of the Friends of Willow Court and the Derwent Valley Council. The Council tonight were asked to clarify this position during question time and did not answer any questions.”
The council has been nothing but patient with Friends of Willow Court and has answered dozens of questions in the past pertaining to this film, so why is you state that they did not clarify their position, it is of my opinion that I believe that they did clarify their decision, but it was not the answer you wanted to hear.
At the end of the article you also state that there no way that money can be made for the site, by portraying people in a “dehumanising nature”.
If you take a step back, you may come to the conclusion that your interpretation of “dehumanisation” is incorrect, and that most who view the documentary, mainly those who count (the council), have approved it due to there faith in the set of individuals that is APIU and there faith in the product that those individuals created, is good at heart and conveys an ultimately good message about Willow Court.
No matter how many stones are throne under the cart, it ultimately will get to its very human destination….