Uncategorized – Page 2 – Willow Court Tasmania

Large numbers tour site

August 12, 2019 2 Comments

The first of two groups about to head off around the site.

This was posted on our Facebook Group a few days ago by Anne Salt who is a member of the Friends of Willow Court. I had the pleasure of assisting them on one Sunday with the tours of the site.

The Friends of Willow Court are overwhelmed by the interest in Willow Court’s history shown by people from all over Tasmanian, and the mainland. Over the last two open days, and from a private bus tour 286 people have visited the site. Many have expressed concern and disbelief that the Derwent Valley Council is in the process of subdividing and handing significant parts of this site to a private developer, without consideration for ongoing community access and interpretation.

One couple decided to let our Councillors know their thoughts on Willow Court, and the economic benefit to the district when the site is open. Hopefully the Councillors received, and read the email.

This is what the visitors had to say in part,

‘We are Tasmanians from the Launceston area. We came south specifically to New Norfolk for the weekend. We drove around the area, ate at a local bistro, filled the car with fuel at a local service station, stayed overnight in local heritage accommodation, had coffee at three different local cafes, purchased snacks and milk from a local corner shop, ate breakfast at a local café, purchased goods from a local antique shop and paid to attend the Willow Court Tour. In all, for the Saturday afternoon and Sunday we spent in New Norfolk specifically to attend a Willow Court tour we spent over $780. If it was not for Willow Court, we would not have visited at all.

We urge the recently elected local Council to look at some of the decisions that are being made and consider what their footprint on the local history may look like to visitors to New Norfolk in the coming years. Don’t let our grandchildren or great grandchildren (we are both 47 and don’t have grandchildren yet) not have the opportunity to visit this facility in the future if they wish. Keep it open, restore and upgrade the facility for Tasmanian locals, interstate and international visitors for generations to come.’

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Investigation into Council’s own actions

July 3, 2019 2 Comments

On the 20th June at the Derwent Valley Council meeting the General Manager instigated a Probity Investigation into the tender process for the Sale or Lease of Willow Court. He based this on “perceived” favourable treatment of the New Norfolk Rum Distillery proponent’s application.

He explained that there were four expressions of interest, one received during the allowed time period of the EOI and was assessed against the EOI criteria.
The three others unsolicited expressions of interest were assessed “on their own merits”, according to the General Manager on the audio recording of the last Council Meeting.

Today the same General Manager stood down after the cull of birds on public land owned by Council. An authorised Contractor undertook the poisoning and removal of a number of birds at Tynwald Park New Norfolk.

This raises big concerns and questions about the decision making ability of the General Manager, who runs the day to day operations of the Derwent Valley Council. Secondly we don’t know who was appointed as the “independent” investigator and why such a quick call for an investigation was made?

There has also been a major change to the Development Application from the Distillery proponents who have appealed a decision of the Derwent Valley Council to limit the tastings in the approved “tasting room” to rum produced on site by the proponents, to sales of other alcohol products from other producers.

This would effectively turn the application into an open hotel with distillery attached. This is still before the Planning Appeals Tribunal.

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The clean up begins

June 9, 2019 No Comments

The clean up of the rear Carlton Ward (Willow Court) Courtyard is nearing completion thanks to the Friends of Willow Court working bees. They have been able to reveal some garden beds after much weed and blackberry removal . These beds may have been used for Occupational Therapy for the people in Carlton (C) Ward (House). With just a few more bits of graffiti to be removed, the walled and gated area will now be a usable public space and fits into the T.R.A.C.E.S plan for activating the spaces on the site for public use.

Thanks to the GREAT volunteers for giving up two weekends to help clean up and find these garden beds. Helpers to continue activating our heritage spaces are always welcome and can contact the Friends of Willow Court to join in on the next Community Based Project. friendsofwillowcourt@gmail.com

The T.R.A.C.E.S Plan is as follows;

TRAILS and Tours.
Develop guided tours with Friends of Willow Court.
Engage with tourism operators to develop and promote.
Develop walking and driving routes.

RESTORATION and Reuse
**Clean up the courtyards.**
Staged repairs of buildings.
Develop training programs for young people interested in repairing historical buildings.

ACTIVATION and Access
Continue open days and events
Setup venue hire rates and rules.
Install internal gates to improve access.

CURATORS and Custodians
Engage with the community to collect stories.
Gather community history through schools and universities.
Align exhibitions with events in the Derwent Valley and Tasmanian arts and events calendar.

EMPOWERING
Develop a community garden project.
Establish a community kitchen.
Facilitate continuing relationships with DV Community House and Agrarian Kitchen.

SIGNAGE
Develop a signage strategy to contribute to the interpretation of New Norfolk and its history.
Promote signage for sites as landmarks within the town and the Valley.
Tree planting strategy to spatial links between Willow Court sites particularly High Street and The Avenue.

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Arts opportunity to invigorate the Valley

May 30, 2019 No Comments

A push for an Arts lead recovery at Willow Court is being proposed in this article from Ben Winspear in the Mercury Newspaper dated 3rd May 2019. This was closely followed by Charlotte Allen’s letter to the Editor today. Charlotte’s support for Willow Court to become an arts, education and multi purpose space came about from her successful advocacy for the Melbourne Abbotsford Convent which at one stage was earmarked, like Willow Court, to be sold off to private enterprise but now is a vibrant publicly owned education, arts and multi purpose centre. A new plan which keeps Willow Court in public ownership is to be released after the Derwent Valley Council gave permission for it to be shared. Details below.

A public meeting to present the new proposal to the community will be held at 6pm on Wednesday 5 June at the New Norfolk Lions Club meeting room, Humphrey St New Norfolk.

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Concerned staff 1990

May 27, 2019 No Comments

It’s been nearly 30 years since this concerned staff member raised the issue of not having supervision for violent/aggressive patients who were no more than children in mature bodies. How that was so wrong, integration had some issue along the way but in hindsight this was a great success for people living with disabilities and for basic human rights.

A big concern was that jobs were at risk and many trained nurses refused the offer of working as low paid support workers or social trainers in the community. But this was the end of large block treatment system, some say it was well overdue and other morn the loss of a community that spent 174 years together. Either way it is our memories that are still holding the information, much of it is not recorded. This is why we strive to collect, store and present a digital museum. If you are a custodian of memories from Royal Derwent Hospital or Willow Court Training Centre we would love to hear from you.

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Our Sites History

May 26, 2019 No Comments

Willow Court is significant to the Disability Sector! It has a rich and powerful history, and if we want to preserve it we need to take some positive action. We need as a sector to find ways to work with the council and community to assist them in their efforts to find the future direction for this site. We don’t have answers but as a collective group we can start to find them. What we do need is support! Please join this Facebook page and invite all people who you think have an interest and some passion.

Janet Presser. March 7, 2012

Janet and I (Mark Krause) started this site back in 2012, even though we had been involved in the sites history for nearly three decades and had been running tours since 2007 when I first started teaching. We have had many supporters over the years who have helped us through some difficult times as some of the behind the scenes politics got quite nasty, but one thing that still remains is a solid support base for the site and its history. This came about from the first call to action when the group formed in 2011 and planned a way forward.

Since then we have over 2.5k members on our facebook sites and our website 1.8 million hits. We have had many people use the site for reference material, tour information, general historic information, family history and followed the conservation of the heritage precinct.

The call could not be more needed than it is today as Willow Court is being considered for privatisation and other uses outside of the normal heritage agenda. So it is even more important that we expand the research base and offer this site as a public service for all to see and read so our heritage both physical and social is known and available to the community, whether for study, general knowledge or a support for the human rights of the people who were sent there because of their differences.

I need to thank those people who have helped along the way, including financial and moral support. The future now remains to gain as much history as can be gathered before the physical site is lost forever. If you enjoy research and have the time to offer I would be happy to hear from you. You can contact me on my email, mark@willowcourttasmania.org

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Willow Court Public Meeting

May 25, 2019 No Comments

Barracks, Willow Court, Tasmania. Winter 2017

‘Willow Court Community Vision’

Friends of Willow Court recently presented their vision for the Future of Willow Court to the Derwent Valley Council. This response to the Council’s call for expressions of interest involves a staged plan for a community led long term vision for the site, through a collaboration with the Derwent Valley Arts. It includes the development of community spaces, with a balance of community and commercial leases, and a governance structure comprising of a skills based board and expert advisory panel to oversee the redevelopment and ongoing management of Council owned portions of the site.

The vision is framed around 6 strategies based on the idea of TRACES
 TRAILS and tours around the site, New Norfolk and beyond
 RESTORATION and reuse of the buildings that remain in public ownership
 ACTIVATION and access to these buildings
 CURATORS and custodians, drawing on local knowledge to draw together the history of the site
 EMPOWERING and engaging people through skills training in building, gardening and cooking
 SIGNAGE and sites more clearly marked, creating connections between the High Street and Willow Court

A public meeting to present the proposal to the community will be held at 6pm on Wednesday 5 June at the New Norfolk Lions Club meeting room, Humphrey St New Norfolk.
Anne Salt
Secretary
0419213232

Global, Local, Uncategorized

Oval view planned to improve.

May 20, 2019 8 Comments

Many people have become confused by the thought that a Rum Distillery was going to clean up the old Wards near Woolworths Carpark, but that would be mistaken as these buildings belonged to a number of failed private business enterprises who have slowly allowed them to become what we see today.

Today the DVC Derwent Valley Council have a DA Development Application for the whole area next to Woolworths Supermarket. The DA is applying for residential accommodation, shops, medical centre. The plans also have a detailed Heritage consideration which is very reassuring.

https://www.derwentvalley.tas.gov.au/page.aspx?u=701&c=12420

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Sunday is the next open day

April 2, 2019 No Comments

Friends of Willow Court will be hosting an open day on 7 April, providing another opportunity to showcase this very unique and significant part of Tasmania’s heritage, and for visitors to learn about the significance of the site through displays, artifacts and walking tours.

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March Open Day

February 27, 2019 2 Comments

The Friends of Willow Court are again conduction an open day at Willow Court the Avenue New Norfolk on the 3rd March 2019. There are displays and a number of guided tours (3) throughout the day. Currently open days are held on the first Sunday of each month by the Friends of Willow Court who are a volunteer committee of the Derwent Valley Council. There is no need to book, just come along ready (closed shoes) at one of the times stated below. There are no facilities for eftpos, cash only.