Last week I had the opportunity to speak with some of the Friends of Frascati House (FoFH) as they inspected the new layout and progress of the Reflective Garden, sited between the rear of the Frascati House (1834) and The Avenue.
Over the past 2-3 years the “Flourish Mental Health Action in Our Hands” self advocacy group have been in discussions with the Derwent Valley Council and the Friends of Frascati House to see if it is possible to also contribute a plaque for the Gardens.
I have been involved in this committee for over twelve months and while there has been some progression, little physical evidence has happened. Last week I was able to have a discussion with Councillor Bester and Mr Greg Winton, General Manager along with three members of the Frascati House Committee who agreed to further discussions with Flourish.
It would appear that the wording of the proposed plaque that the FoFH have submitted to Council and the wording on the plaque that Flourish self advocacy group have proposed are almost identical.
I am currently waiting for Jess Dallas who is the Council’s Project Manager to contact me back with the wording*. If both groups can agree, there is an opportunity for a plaque to be installed to remember past residents, staff and community members that were involved in the Hospital’s 174 years of operation.
Frascati House Committee and the Derwent Valley Council have also considered some proposed insensitive activities in the old home but it is nice to see that there is an opportunity to have some respectful and sensitive activity on the site.
*p.s. Jess Dallas had sent the wording but due to a communication issue I only received it yesterday. Thanks Jess.
2 Comments
When I was living in New Norfolk as a kid my mum was an administrator at Willow Court and I use to ride my bike with friends around the grounds. I remember a big white house that was derilect at the time and heavily vandalised. We use to go in there a lot and freak ourselves out with stories of a doctor that lived in the house and butchered his family in there.
One time when we went in there we didn’t know there was already a group of boys older than us and they were obviously listening in. So they started making noises and scaring the absolute crap out of us. We high tailed it out of there with our hearts pounding out of our chests.
I look back at that with fond memory actually…. The whole precinct of willow court and the royal Derwent hospital was full of disused buildings and exploring them really taught me a lot as a kid.
There was also another building full of old medical records and had a sagging floor. Me and my friends called ourselves “the seekers” and we wrote it in chalk on one of the walls In the room.
Unfortunately I haven’t been back since the early 90’s….. Real fun times.
Hi Adam, Your story and memories are not uncommon as the Tasmanian Government abandoned the hospital and the buildings slowly were left for anyone to access, some didn’t respect what they had in their community. Many families that worked there had to endure a campaign during the deinstitutionalization years and so the history wasn’t a proud one during this stage and not passed down. I think the history of the place has now been mostly lost, stolen and destroyed. This is a shame as this wasn’t only the staff’s history, it was the history of Tasmania and the many people this hospital treated and their families. Many people who had your experiences became strong advocates in support of the hospital becoming a museum as previous historical plans detailed. Thanks for writing and sharing your memories.
Cheers
Mark