The Friends of Willow Court have released their tour dates for the next three month. Tours include ethical and well researched knowledge about treatments and past patients by trained guides and local historians, some have past employment history on the site.
The next Willow Court History tours are coming up this Sunday, 17 April.
FREE ENTRY
Come along and learn about the history of this site from 10am Sunday.
Booking for tours can be made on 0419 213 232
Friends of Willow Court Derwent Valley Tasmania Tyga FM Community Radio Derwent Valley Arts
“FRAME OF MIND’ is a new exhibition being held at the Derwent Valley Art’s Barracks Galley, Willow Court and is well worth your while to visit this January. While there are limited opening hours for the exhibition this month (see below) the team at Derwent Valley Arts have made this a covid safe space. I was fortunate enough to attend the opening night last evening and was more than impressed by the works presented.
The story of this exhibition started some time ago, Hunter Island Press, through Derwent Valley Arts, arranged a tour of the site with the Friends of Willow Court. The Friends of Willow Court asking me to help with the tour, which I was happy to do.
Hunter Island Press Inc. is a collective group of artists who work mainly in print media and operate a studio in the Clarence area. From this tour, other inspiration and research the Artists went about preparing a range of works for this exhibition. The whole exhibition is about Willow Court and it was fascinating to see how each Artist interpreted the tour, the site and the emotions the site evokes.
For me as a tour guide that has run tours on the site since 2007, this is some of the best feedback I have received and help me to understand that each individual comes away with a different experience. Each work told the many stories from so many different angles and perspectives. All of the works have a wonderful explanation and description as to what motivated the work. As a bonus, all the works are for sale and I purchase a wonderful piece that both my partner and I fell in love with. This wasn’t an easy choice as each of the pieces spoke to me and the drive I have for this site to remain in public ownership and to present it and it’s past residents and staff in an ethical manner.
Click cover to see the guide/catalogue.
The project is open weekends 11am-4pm with Artists talks at 2pm. From Saturday until Sunday 30 January.
After a long wait there appears to be some movement on the two remaining oval Hospital Wards. Esperance and Derwent Wards have sat empty and open for vandals for the past 20 years. The early history of vandalism was the illegal removal of the copper pipes and kitchen and other fittings, The price of copper and the lack of security in the early 2000’s made this easy, but cause a tremendous lot of damage to the internal walls.
A number of great ideas by would be entrepreneurs were put forward for this oval section which was originally wrapped around the sporting oval, now Woolworths Supermarket, however each idea failed to proceed due to the lack of funds and a lack of due diligence of the owners.
Many locals have described these two double story Wards, and the two single story Wards as an eye sore. Both single wards were deliberately lite and destroyed
The Administration Building is currently under contract for sale along with the old school building which serves as part of the Derwent Valley Community House.
According to the real estate agent both the old Admin building and the old school which is part of the Derwent Valley Community House are for sale. There are some good pictures in the ad to give people some idea of the internals of both buildings. Recently a “under contract” sticker appeared over the for sale sign.
In other news the Derwent Valley Council’s car park (located in front of Frascati House) has been under construction with a range of heavy machinery working in the area.
Memorial Garden now with new car park beside.
In the old Carlton House, or C Ward yard, the new productive Agrarian Kitchen gardens are taking shape. This massive undertaking is designed to sit on top of the old surface of the yard and will keep intact the possible underground heritage assets. The Willow Court Car Park is also still under construction.
Form work being put in to support the Derwent Valleys’ new car park
We have for sale a great looking copy of the rare and hard to find, “Troubled Asylum”. This first edition white cover book has the late author’s signature inside the cover and also comes with a short history letter written by Dr. R. V. Parton, Psychiatrist Superintendent dated August, 1978. The letter was created to assist the Author with Historical Notes, Present Day Statistics and Objectives and Functions for the book. The letter was gifted to the local Anglican Parish Priest at New Norfolk as a thank you for his assistance.
Letter written by Dr. R. V. Parton, Psychiatrist Superintendent dated August, 1978
Condition of the book is very good, no loose or missing pages, the cover has a small 1/2 cm pen mark on the front cover and some light discolouration on the back cover which would be age related. The letter is missing the staple and is clean and readable. Printed on yellow paper.
Funds raised by this sale contribute to the ongoing upkeep and maintenance of this website. Conditions of sale: Postage would be at the buyers expense, Local pick up available (excludes PayPal), sale is not concluded until the funds are cleared, transferred or handed too the owner.
The asking price is $400 and you can contact Mark through this website: mark@willowcourttasmania.org
Signature
Post Script:
Like many copies of this book, this copy sold within the hour of it being posted. Recently we have had artifacts, floor plans and this first edition, signed copy of Troubled Asylum all for sale. The artifacts sold within minutes, the plan took a few more days, and as stated above, the book less than one hour. Interest in the history of the site remains very high with little to quench the thirst for knowledge and experience of the site.
Six month before the closure of the Willow Court Training Centre a group of people with disabilities from Cosmos Recreation Services and their support workers entered the hospital to document the final months for the residents in the remaining Wards and related activities at the hospital. The result was this video (below)
Video cover of “six months to go and counting”
The video is approximately 40 minutes in length and the last minutes include the “final” leaving party held at the community centre which was the old school. The late film maker, Fiona Richardson, amassed a number photos and spare video footage that wasn’t used in this film. The finished film was only available for the last residents, Cosmos and Disability Services (South). This photo is of the original copy.
Part of the new look accessible website that was installed some time ago excluded the search function for the whole of the website when using any mobile device. Thanks to https://masterit.tech/ we now have that back in place located at the bottom of the main page. One of the most popular searches people use is for “family history”. Try it and let us know how you go.
Last weekend anyone passing along the Avenue might have noticed a number of signs outside the front of Frascati House, these were placed there by a member of the Friends of Frascati House, a committee of the Derwent Valley Council.
The committee has been at odds with the decisions of the Derwent Valley Council to make a car park at the front of Frascati House and Gardens. Both the gardens and the home were created in the early 1830’s and the DVC put together a committee of community representative to assist with managing and preserving the site, it’s history both physically and socially.
The original Frascati House 1834
The house was built by John Burnett, Colonial Secretary to Van Diemen’s Land. The Colonial Secretary occupied the home from 1834, after it’s construction, while the Governor was in residence at the Government retreat know as Turriff Lodge. The home was later sold to the Hospital and was used as a residence for the Medical Superintendent and his family. Two granddaughters of Dr Charles Brothers took the time to write a letter to the local news paper (New Norfolk News).
Granddaughters of Dr Brothers
Sandra Hetherington’s Letter to the editor
Hands off Frascati
Committee member Sandra Hetherington also wrote a letter to the New Norfolk News (above) expressing her discontent at the Council’s decision to keep making ad hoc decisions about the site in the absence of a master plan. The approved car park will be located next to an existing empty car park. The new car park is meeting demand from the Derwent Valley Arts group, who have taken a short term lease of the east wing of the Barracks for a number of events and exhibitions, the Agrarian Kitchen and the New Norfolk Distillery’s paranormal night tours, which have been subcontracted to Tasmania’s Most Haunted. The proposed New Norfolk Distillery tasting room, function centre and multi story hotel which was approved over two years ago has yet to appear beyond The Public relations companies contract to sell the idea to the local community.
Letters to the editor
As an update to the story there is an increasing number of signs appearing on the front lawns of Frascati House in a silent but determine protest at the lack of Council’s planning despite already paid for plans which are being ignored.
