New Norfolk – Page 9 – Willow Court Tasmania

State election news early report

January 30, 2014 1 Comment

Willow Court has many friends that are fighting to be elected at the next Tasmanian state election.

Yesterday the Chairwoman of the Friends of Willow Court Special Committee, Mrs Anne Salt has appeared on the ABC news as a representative for the National Party in the seat of Lyons.

Mayor Martyn Evans has announced some time ago that he will also be seeking to be elected to the seat of Lyons for the Liberal Party. Martyn Evans also sits on the Willow Court Conservation Committee along with the Labor candidate David Llewellyn, who is the chair person of the Willow Court Conservation Committee.

We will again ask each of these candidates about their thoughts of Willow Court becoming a Site of Conscience and what would their contribution be to the restoration, both socially and physically of the site.

Global, Local

Media coverage for the opening of Willow Court?

January 2, 2014 No Comments

The Derwent Valley Council is about to open the restored Willow Court heritage precinct late February or early March, so how are they going to get the word out to the Tasmanian community and the tourists that it hopes to attract? This is a good question and the DVC have been sitting on the domain name “willowcourt.org.au” for nearly two years, it is going to be good to see what the DVC will reveal.

It would have been good to have the website already running so the local community can see what is happening from the official channels and know what type of activities and attractions will be available in a couple of months time.

This will be the revealing of the master plan and the large “Port Arthur” style attraction, it could only be expected that a media package equal to the sites heritage values be applied as soon as possible. It is also unclear what level of local employment will be generated by the opening. No positions vacant have been seen yet in the public domain.

Communication between the DVC and the Council Committees has been limited and the plans of council have not been revealed to the volunteer support base, that are the Friends of Willow Court, who normally run open days and arts events at the site. Local business that will have to cater for the opening have not been advised about an opening date or what to expect. Normally with an event this large in Tasmania some months of planning would be expected and would be well underway. A skeleton of the event and how the Council are going to management it could be shared.

We look forward to the opening, the events and wonder how the previous residents/patients are to be involved?

Global, Local

Security in place at Willow Court

December 23, 2013 No Comments

A new security site office is now located on the grounds of Frascati House, although empty tonight it looks promising and may protect Frascati and the Barracks from arson attacks. The resent loss of the Oval Change rooms (Change room fire) appears to have prompted to security rethink by the Derwent Valley Council. The change rooms were lit and destroyed within minutes in day light hours. A number of young people have been charged with this. (Police interview three youths over fire) It has become our practise not to normally reveal the news of young offenders until the law has been followed through. Social media has an unpleasant side that allows people to write, and push enter before the laws of natural justice have been able to work or their frontal lobe hasn’t had time to kick in.

WC Security 003 Security office with Esperance and the roof of Frascati in the background.

Global, Local

Window Saved

December 20, 2013 No Comments

The window from Esperance Ward was saved by a concerned person when they found it partially damaged and removed from the window frame a year ago. This window is a unique piece as it has the chew marks from one of the patients who during the long nights would chew at the window frame. This window starred in the news report, of the then Minister for Community Services, the Hon. Judy Jackson MHA when she visited the site before announcing it’s closure. Repatraition of Residents from Willow Court Tasmania film can be found by clicking on the link and shows the ward in operation and how a group of Willow Court’s previous residents are surviving on the outside.

Paul Mayne (Ex-employee and current CEO of a Disability Service Provider) explains during a tour with a group of students about the window and how it came to be chewed. (Podcast below)

[soundcloud]http://soundcloud.com/willow-court/willow-court-paul-mayne-window[/soundcloud]

Global, Uncategorized

Spring Growth on Tasmania’s oldest Grape Vine.

December 10, 2013 No Comments

The Friends of Frascati have been busy tending the gardens around Frascati house and with so much rain fall everything is looking very lush and green including the old grape vine. Still yet to be identified as a particular variety. The vine was looking rather spending last Monday. Conservation Committee Chair person David Llewellyn has taken cuttings in the hope of identifying the variety and recently stated: “I have four of them growing at St Helelns but they aren’ big enough to identify as yet”. David is the owner of

Priory Ridge Wines

Global, Local

Change rooms up in flames in day light hours.

December 8, 2013 No Comments

Yesterday the old change rooms on the oval precinct went up in flames during the day sparking concern in the near by Woolworths Supermarket as shoppers went about their business. These were going to be removed to make way for a new Woolworths supermarket and shopping area.

Global, Local

Restoration update

December 4, 2013 No Comments

From Brett Noble, Senior Project Officer Willow Court.

As many would have noticed, there is currently considerably activity at The Barracks.
Over the last couple of weeks, all the windows facing into The Barracks courtyard have been restored to working order. The windows retain all the marks of their 180 years of life – patches, different paint layers, repairs, and breaks – but are now in working order. Some very intriguing metal work, hand stamped with the ‘convict arrow’, was uncovered during this work. The ‘convict arrow’ was also found on many of the window frames.
Work has also begun on a couple of the original doors, as a test of what this work will entail.
In addition, specialist renderers have been working on the verandah plinth, removing cement render and bits of loose render, ahead of applying a poultice. The poultice will be on for a few weeks, to draw out the moisture and salts that had been trapped in the masonry, before a new lime render is applied. Part of this work involved the removal of some of the brick pavers that were hard against the verandah plinth, and a little excavation along the face of the plinth. This work has shown that along the southern side of the building the original ground level was much lower that at present.
Behind the scenes, the head contractor requests for tenders is nearing completion, which should see the selection of a head contractor in the next week. As you will recall, part of the selection criteria for this work is the involvement of local sub-contractors.

Global, Local

TasWater’s contrubution to the Heritage values?

December 2, 2013 No Comments

The Derwent Valley Council has requested that above ground pipes installed by Taswater in “The Avenue” be relocated underground. A unanimous vote from all councillors in the October minutes “instructs” TasWater to reinstall them underground, in consultation with the Willow Court Senior Project Officer, Mr Brett Noble.

These pipes throughout the Heritage area detract from the current restoration process by both the private owners and council owed properties and clearly shows TasWater’s lack of thought or communication.

A recent short documentary by film maker, Victoria Acuña showed the work that Mario Cortes has put into the old Administration Building, but the picture below shows how these pipes have detracted from the efforts of Mario to create a renovated art-deco beauty. View film here

Global, Local

Lachlan Park Hospital short film of Ward 10

November 6, 2013 3 Comments

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.

Global, Local

Restoration report, Willow Court.

October 19, 2013 No Comments

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.