Back brace RDH
This back brace was from Ward 3 of Royal Derwent Hospital. The brace is formed from material covered metal in the centre two supports. Most of the specialist equipment was made on site by the hospital’s own trades people. This could make a display at the restored Barracks Museum.
A Museum isn’t a new idea, it was suggested back in 1963 by Dr Cunningham-Dax M.B., B.S. (Lond.). B.Sc. (Lond.) D.P.M., (R.C.P. & S) In a report presented to the Tasmanian Parliament in January 1963, when he warned that, in front of “the old barrack square” was to be used as a State Museum, that every effort should be made to collect the remaining relics now.
Royal Derwent Hospital Siren (New podcast)
When the siren went off at RDH Tasmania at the asylum, the local community knew what to do, children and adults ran indoors and waited until the siren sounded again to indicate the all clear. What was this about? The siren indicated that a patient had escaped the hospital and different sounds meant different levels of alert and danger. How did visitors and the children feel about this? This conversation between New Norfolk Councillor James Graham, Anne Salt and Mark Krause discusses some of the stories about the alarm. Recorded during the restoration of the front gates in 2012.
“I think children’s reactions depended on if they had parents who worked in the hospital. As kids 10-12 years old, if the siren went off a group of us got on our bikes and went to see what ward the action was going on at. We were taught not to be scared of the people there just because they had physical or mental health issues…” Lyell Wilson
“The Lachlan Park Hospital will sound a siren when a patient is considered dangerous escapes” The medical administrator of the hospital (Dr J.R.C. Weatherly) said yesterday the alarm would be three ten-second blasts at five-second intervals. If the patient were recaptured within five hours of the alarm being given. an “all clear”, one thirty second blast would be sounded. De Weatherly said the siren would be tested each Friday at noon. The test would be a single 15-second blast. (Troubled Asylum)
Troubled Asylum record prices
A copy of Troubled Asylum, second edition sold on EBay for $155 on Sunday. This reprinted book was first released as a hard copy in 1981. Resent prices for the hard copy version (1981) have reached selling prices of over $250. The book is a collation of archival documents about the Hospital’s history from 1827 til 1981.
There has been a call for the addition of the history post 1981 which includes the closure and total re-think of the mental heath and disability support systems and the resulting effects of such a change on the people who called Willow Court/Royal Derwent Hospital home and the staff and community that supported them through that history.
The original price for this book was $19.95 and is now considered rare in second edition and scarce in hard copy edition. Signed first edition copies are considered highly collectable.
Educational Audio Tour
Last week a student group from Fahan School visited Willow Court and used the podcasts on our website to inform themselves about the people history of Willow Court. The curriculum area “Introduction to Psychology and Sociology” was prepared and arranged by Fahan Teacher, Liana Hayes who was very resourceful and used the available open area of Willow Court and guidance from Haydn Pearce with his knowledge and passion for Colonial History.
While the Heritage Precinct undergoes restoration this tour was the third group in a couple of weeks to visit the site. Liana wrote: The podcasts worked really well on the iPads and the girls gained a lot of valuable information from them. This is a great way to learn about Willow Court’s people history, from an ex-employee and disability expert here in Tasmania. So successful was this audio tour Liana stated they would be: most definitely continuing this excursion to ‘Willow Court’ next year.
See the pictures and news release here or click on the picture below. NEWS RELEASE
Lachlan Park Hospital short film of Ward 10
httpvh://youtu.be/N7yrOFiU2Fw
This short film shows Ward 10 with its high, double fences and outer perimeter security system. There is a clear shot of the Ha Ha wall and dry moat which has since been filled in with waste. This footage, it is believed, was taken after an escape and shows the repaired fence and welded window frame. This is a silent piece of footage and the exact age is unclear. Anyone who could assist in determining the age please contact me on Facebook or via the comment section here.
A personal story
My name is ********* and I worked at Royal Derwent from 1967 to 1978 and enjoyed my time in that position. It was sad at times but very rewarding as well. I know it makes us sad to think of the cruelty and sadness that took place in these dwellings. But as a mum of a 21 years old son who has Down syndrome I can understand the heartache of the parents that had to leave their loved ones in the hospital because they could not cope or did not know how to deal with their child’s disability.
Today we are so lucky, when my son was born I said to the Doctor what I am going to do and GOD bless his heart he said ********* take him home and love him. That is what we did and boy have we been rewarded, what a wonderful young man he has become. The love this man has brought to our home and the many values that we have learnt through him has been amazing. Wow we’ve been blessed.
But that did not happen for these mums and dads they were told to go home and leave them, told that their baby would never have any kind of life and they would never amount to anything. How very wrong the medical staff were. With lots of love and patience these beautiful people can make a difference. We look at these derelict and rundown buildings and hear the terrible stories about the history of this hospital but we never hear about the positive things about it. We hear about the cruelty and yes in the early years there was a lot of negative behaviour.
My mum worked there for 33 years and at first she said it was tragic, they had just started to trial the drug Largactil (an anti-psychotic drug) because a lot of the clients were very violent and many staff got hurt, beds was straw on the floor these people did not have a good life but things did improve in lots of ways.
There were some cruel staff but in my time there were a great many good compassionate staff (men and women) that cared about the welfare of these vulnerable people.
There were always three hot meals a day, regular showers and baths always a bed to sleep in. There were also different forms of entertainment, they had their own picture theatre where they watched movies and put on plays to entertain each other. There were socials, annual balls, Christmas parties where they would enjoy getting dressed up, a swimming pool and lots of recreational things to do and shopping trips for clients who were able. A lot of capable clients went out on day trips and they had their own church to go to Sunday services. The clients had their own friendship groups and they always knew they had a home. What I am saying is there were lots of things going on that was not quite right but there were a lot of very good things as well.
Facebook group hits over 300 members
The Willow Court Advocacy Group’s Facebook group has now climbed to over 300 members and the Facebook page has over 100 members. This is a great support for Willow Court and the sensitive restoration of the social and physical history. Help us grow even more by using the “invite by emailing” and asking your friends to support this cause. Together we can make Willow Court a Site of Conscience.
Restoration report, Willow Court.
The lush green grass and weeds that were in the forecourt of the Barracks building have already been treated with a poison in readiness for the landscaping to start. These areas will consist of new raised green lawn and white pebble pathways. With the contrasting sandstone of the barracks in the back ground, this promises to be quite a sight. It is also a popular method of highlighting the structures above ground which works on a number of heritage sites around Australia. The existing road and brick paved surfaces that are in front of the barracks will form part of the substructure of the new surfaces while the existing drainage already in operation will manage future drainage needs. This is a cost effective solution that will make the limited dollars stretch further.
This week is going to be a big week in Bronte Ward as contractors start the arduous task of removing asbestos from the ward. While there was a program to remove asbestos from each of the wards in the 1980’s there are still some remaining areas that this needs attention. Asbestos is still part of the old electrical switch boards and also flange seals in between the huge metal heating ducting in the roof space of the ward.
No tour groups or visitors can enter the site while this work is carried out. It is also hope that the wind will ease next week as the asbestos is removed then taken outside for appropriate disposal in skip bins. These are all sealed packages to reduce the chances of airborne fibres being blown into surrounding properties.
Willow Court development application, WC News letter and FoWC meeting
The latest news letter from the Conservation Committee is here Newsletter from the Willow Court Conservation Committee
The development application has also been put into the Derwent Valley Council and can be viewed up until October 21st. Invitation are invited for public comment. New Norfolk news
A meeting with the Friends of Willow Court Special Committee will be held tonight at 7pm in the Community house. Mayor Martyn Evans will be attending.