Lachlan Park Hospital – Page 2 – Willow Court Tasmania

ECT Machines and electricity treatments

January 6, 2017 No Comments

Electro Convulsive Therapy ECT is a practice which has a long history at Willow Court and throughout Mental Health Services for many years. It’s use has been therapeutically beneficial for many patients and contriversial for others.

The use of electricity for therapy has been recorded throught history, with evidence being about in England since 1814, France in 1755 and even the use of electric catfish in the sixteenth century. These earlier recording was used to remove “evil spirits” and the later, was recorded treatments for psychogenic blindness. Finally in 1814 electricity was used for depression in England, however none of these treatments induced convultions as we know the modern ECT treatment does today.

It also has been used as an experimental device and also some record of miss use as a punishment method to treat patients that were diagnosed with “mania” or ” being “difficult”.

Lawrence Edward Cullen, in writting about his memories of working at the hospital at New Norfolk from 1936 til 1978 recorded that the first use of ECT was “approximately 1937”. However this maybe an incorrect recording of the history of the treatment at the hospital because the treatment wasn’t presented until 1938 by the inventors, Ugo Cerletti and Lucio Bini at a Swiss conference.

“It was at this meeting (1938) that Bini presented the first report on the use of electricity to induce seizures. Two reports were read. Accornero and Bini reviewed the experiences with insulin coma in Rome, and Bini described his first experiments to induce epileptic attacks in dogs using electric currents. These descriptions were the first public discussions of what was to become electro shock therapy”. (Norman S Ender, PHD The Origins of Electro Convulsive Therapy ECT)

Lawrence Cullen however did tell us that the first recording of the therapy was in the sick ward (or B Ward) and was administered by Doctor Isobel Williams who joined the hospital staff in 1938, and the patient was known as Charles S. “Charles became apprehensive about the treatment and even when the doctor was ready to carry on the treatment, would jump out the window into the airing court of the ward in his under clothes”. He goes on to report that, “after a course of treatment he was discharged and went back to the mainland”.

Raymond P., another patient “would admit that he was frightened of ECT but would readily submit himself for a course because he felt the derived benifit from it”.

But electricity was used long before this time as Doctor Gavin Crabb records in his rare book, the history of Lachlan Park Hospital. There were records that indicated the use of electricity for theraptic use as early as 1851 and disappeared from the records by 1876. The picture below is of the machine that was found in the upper floor of the Barracks building. This is the device Doctor Crabb believes was in use during that time.

“It was used here (Willow Court) quite frequently , and the results were almost exactly the same as we get with ECT”. Crabb tells us who would have received this treatment, “patients who had scarcely moved or spoken for a long time, who refused to eat, were impulsive or showed other signs pointing to schizophrenia or depression.

This picture was of a machine found in the attic of the Barracks pre 1955 and is recorded in the book “The History of Lachlan Park”.

This Machine is currently in the hands of a person who is a collector of artifacts on Willow Court and is reported as being from Willow Court.

This machine is also reported as being from Willow Court and is also held in private hands.

This machine is recorded on the log of assets held by the Derwent Valley Council on behalf of the people of Tasmania.

This machine is also recorded on the log of assets held by the Derwent Valley Council on behalf of the people of Tasmania.

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Latest News

December 3, 2016 No Comments

There have been a few things happening at Willow Court. Firstly this is a notice on the gates of the Council owned section informing the public of an application for the return of the Archaeology Student from Flinders University and the pending works they wish to start during their stay in February next year.

The second notice is about the pending Kitchen, Eatery and Store due to be fitted out next year and their application for a Liquor Licence. Rodney Dunn from the Agrarian Kitchen is aware of the sensitive nature of the site and is highly respectful of the history. This is a great way for the Council to raise long term funds without insensitive exploration of the site.

The Derwent Valley Council have see fit to sponsor and approve, not one but two insensitive Paranormal tours of the site. We know from worldwide experiences that these will soon start portraying the previous residents and staff as objects of dread to compete for the very limited audience and available dollars.

One is a private business and the other group has strong connections with a number of Councillors who have supported this activity, including the Mayor who once announced the location as the “most haunted in Australia”.

The expression of interest process for other businesses to operate at Willow Court has still not been completed by Council.

I have been sent a picture of this button and an inquiry as to whom would have worn this and from which uniform it would have come from.

If you can help please contact me and I will pass on the information.

On a happier note the Willow Court History Group website has clicked over one million views last month. We believe that people are interested in a sensitive and respectful telling of the history of the hospital.

The weeds are growing in the landscaped areas at the site. The Friends of Willow Court had requested to manage the lawns and gardens, but have been denied access. It is also believed that the FoWC have also been denied access at Willow Court to prepare their submission for general and educational tours.

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Your Invite

December 1, 2016 No Comments

This is your invite to an open conversation with two Tasmanian Leaders in the Mental Health and Disability industries. This free event will bring John Langford AM from Queensland to join in with David Kearney in what will be an interesting conversation. Both men had connections with Lachlan Park Hospital/Royal Derwent Hospital and Willow Court.

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John Langford

November 8, 2016 2 Comments

This 2016 interview with John Langford AM explores John’s experiences working at Lachlan Park Hospital/Royal Derwent Hospital located in New Norfolk Tasmania from 1962 through the seventies when he set up community based support organisations in the psycho-social model, a philosophy that he had studied in the United Kingdom to support those people with mental health issues that didn’t require incarceration.

A trained Psychiatric Social Worker, John, at the age of 80 years took the time off his full time job to speak with me. He recently opened an accommodation centre in Mackay Queensland to assist people in crisis and has been awarded the highest honour you can get from Rotary Australia the ‘Paul Harris Award’.

This now matched his 2014 member of the Order of Australia as part of the Queen’s Birthday honours list. It was a delight to meet and talk with this gentleman who has dedicated his life’s work to people with mental health issues, intellectual disabilities and those in crisis.

He starts with telling about the shock he received when he first started and was given a tour, this is not dis-similar to the comments I have received by many ex-staff when they first started. He then discussed the community based structures and training at the hospital that came out from the leadership of Eric Cunningham Dax. He was instrumental in a number of organisations including PRA, Community Hostels, Caroline House and Mara House.

John was one of a number of people who were in positions at the hospital that were able to make a real difference and it was only mentioned to me recently that we need to gather that history, so this is, one person and how they have and are still contributing to the ongoing care and support of people living with mental health issues and\or intellectual disabilities.

The interview goes for just over 23 minutes. Adjust to high Definition.

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New Rare Document

September 12, 2016 2 Comments

Early Training Report

The language used in this report may not be considered appropriate today.

Thanks to Michelle Eastwood transcription services we have an easier to read version of a hand written report I received a year ago. This is an interesting report because the staff were trying something the Hospital system hadn’t tried before and was an interesting experiment which clearly paid dividends both for the”boys and staff”. I have attempted to date this document in a number of ways:

The author mentioned Lachlan Park Hospital (1937-1968)

The names of each of the boys was attached, but for privacy has been removed but are still known to me.

I have a survey dated 1975 in which I have the names and wards of each of the “boys” and their dates of admission and the length of stay at the time of the survey.

I would date this document between 1965-68.

The days routine within a Ward is explained and the issues with overcrowding described in the context of the work that was being attempted. Mostly what is explained here is the success of the hard work of a dedicated team of staff to develop the skills and therefore the Independence of each of the “boys”.

The interesting thing in this document is that the modern skill development guru for people living with an intellectual disability was Dr Marc Gold.

The language used in this film may not be considered appropriate today.

What we see here are a group of people at Lachlan Park Hospital trying what had not been developed as a full theory until the mid to late 1970’s. The mentioned survey above reports that even though this skill development was successful the results report that the “boys” returned to the Wards where skill development wasn’t common.

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John Langford

July 18, 2016 No Comments

Last week I had the pleasure of filming an interview with John Langford OA who worked at Lachlan Park Hospital in the early 1960’s. John went to the UK to study in 1966 -70 and returned to the Royal Derwent Hospital to assist Dr Eric Cunningham Dax regionalise Mental Health services in Tasmania Cunningham Dax Report. As part of that work he started an organisation called Community Hostels Inc in Tasmania.

A trained Psychiatric Social Worker, John, at the age of 80 years took the time off his full time job to speak with us. He recently opened an accommodation centre in Mackay Queensland to assist people in crisis and has been awarded the highest honour you can get from Rotary Australia the ‘Paul Harris Award’.

John’s 80th Birthday and Rotary award John’s Queens Birthday award

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Damage continues at Willow Court

March 26, 2016 5 Comments

imag1627 Students of Flinders University have been able to capture the continuing vandalism of Willow Court. While the Barracks and Bronte remain low risk and clear of the damage that previously plagued the site, the same can not be said of Carlton (C Ward), Industrial Therapies and Alonnah Wards (A Ward). Under the protection by the owner, the Derwent Valley Council these buildings remain subject to vandalism including the smashing of many of the one inch thick glass panels that distinguish the property as the old criminal division of Lachlan Park.

We hope that this ongoing damage can be stopped soon and the Council can protect these public assets. The cost of replacing the many glass panes is unknown but would be considerable. These Wards are often the most visually powerful in getting people to understand this part of the site housed people who were considered dangerous to the community. Large walls, 1″ thick glass windows and three inch thick laminated doors housed Tasmania’s Criminals who were judged criminally insane.

Later the site was used to house people with intellectual disabilities because the Criminal division was moved to the Risdon Prison site. A number of reports considered and recommended the wards inappropriate and should close.

The Derwent Valley Council also reported a breakin at Frascati House and the door needed repair and resecuring earlier this year.

Even after the roofing iron was removed from Carlton Ward and the Deputy Mayor reported it, it remained off for a couple of weeks and allowed access for urban explorers, paranormal enthusiasts and vandals.

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Common sense “Questions Book” used at Willow Court

December 6, 2015 No Comments

This book asked questions to a person to determine the mental\intellectual capacity to understand and respond in what would be a common sense manner to given situations. The result could be a lengthy stay in Lachlan Park Hospital\Willow Court under the 1929 Mental Deficiency Act. Click the image above to go to the articles tab and read the new document and many more.

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Senate inquiry: Violence, abuse and neglect of people with a disability.

October 26, 2015 No Comments

We have recently learnt that some people have made submissions to the Senate Inquiry while living at the former Lachlan Park Hospital and Royal Derwent Hospital. Further submissions from people with disability or mental health conditions are sought by 11 November 2015.

The Inquiry are looking at Violence, abuse and neglect against people with disability in institutional and residential settings, including the gender and age related dimensions, and the particular situation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability, and culturally and linguistically diverse people with disability.

The terms of reference are:

the experiences of people directly or indirectly affected by violence, abuse and neglect perpetrated against people with disability in institutional and residential contexts;
the impact of violence, abuse and neglect on people with disability, their families, advocates, support persons, current and former staff and Australian society as a whole;
the incidence and prevalence of all forms of violence, abuse and neglect perpetrated against people with disability in institutional and residential settings;
the responses to violence, abuse and neglect against people with disability, as well as to whistleblowers, by every organisational level of institutions and residential settings, including governance, risk management and reporting practices;
the different legal, regulatory, policy, governance and data collection frameworks and practices across the Commonwealth, states and territories to address and prevent violence, abuse and neglect against people with disability;
Australia’s compliance with its international obligations as they apply to the rights of people with disability;
role and challenges of formal and informal disability advocacy in preventing and responding to violence, abuse and neglect against people with disability;
what should be done to eliminate barriers for responding to violence, abuse and neglect perpetrated against people with disability in institutional and residential settings, including addressing failures in, and barriers to, reporting, investigating and responding to allegations and incidents of violence and abuse;
what needs to be done to protect people with disability from violence, abuse and neglect in institutional and residential settings in the future, including best practice in regards to prevention, effective reporting and responses;
identifying the systemic workforce issues contributing to the violence, abuse and neglect of people with disability and how these can be addressed;
the role of the Commonwealth, states and territories in preventing violence and abuse against people with disability;
the challenges that arise from moving towards an individualised funding arrangement, like the National Disability Insurance Scheme, including the capacity of service providers to identify, respond to and prevent instances of violence, abuse and neglect against people with disability; and
what elements are required in a national quality framework that can safeguard people with disability from violence, abuse and neglect in institutional and residential settings.

2. That for this inquiry:

‘institutional and residential settings’ is broadly defined to include the types of institutions that people with disability often experience, including, but not restricted to: residential institutions; boarding houses; group homes; workplaces; respite care services; day centres; recreation programs; mental health facilities; hostels; supported accommodation; prisons; schools; out-of-home care; special schools; boarding schools; school buses; hospitals; juvenile justice facilities; disability services; and aged care facilities; and
‘violence, abuse and neglect’ is broadly understood to include, but is not limited to: domestic, family and interpersonal violence; physical and sexual violence and abuse; psychological or emotional harm and abuse; constraints and restrictive practices; forced treatments and interventions; humiliation and harassment; financial abuse; violations of privacy; systemic abuse; physical and emotional neglect; passive neglect; and wilful deprivation.

People looking to understand what is required can find “easy read english” versions through the link below.

Help can be found at Advocacy Services:

Speakout

Advocacy Tasmania

Senate inquiry Violence, abuse and neglect of people with a disability.

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Landmark Willow Court Report supplied to Friends of Willow Court

August 31, 2015 No Comments

This new report was given to members of the Friends of Willow Court during an oral history gathering session.

The ex-staff member offered the report so it could be digitised and used for future education.

The Report refers to new ideas and experiments that were allowed by Senior Staff to have a better service for people who lived at Willow Court (Lachlan Park Hospital). The exact date of this report is unclear, but it would appear that it was pre 1965 because “Lachlan Park” is used. The names of the male “patients” involved were also included and are helpful in dating the document. The subject matter is about, new methods of treatment in a social, small setting with skill development of life skills. The report looks at the hypothesis of people with disabilities being able to receive and respond to training and skill development. The timeline for this report becomes critical here, because within Tasmania this could be one of the first, if not the first formal training programmes for the development of living skills of the seven young boys that it refers to. It was a handwritten document of 5, A3 pages. During the early 1960’s, skill development in life skills in a block treatment system was not only difficult, but considered quite impossible and in some cases fruitless. As soon as I receive permission to reprint I will load the document up for public availability when approved by the FoWC.

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