troubled asylum – Willow Court Tasmania

Troubled Asylum: for sale (Sold!)

July 28, 2021 4 Comments

First edition, signed copy of “Troubled Asylum”

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

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.

Global, Local

Troubled Asylum for sale

April 7, 2020 4 Comments

NOW SOLD

We have a hard to find copy of “Troubled Asylum” by Ralph. W Gowlland for sale. This is a white covered, signed, first edition which makes this even rarer. This copy was owner by Dr Sue Fricker who worked with Gowlland in the 70’s at the Hospital.

Condition: The cover has a few minor marks, the pages are all dry and fine, the binding is in good condition. The picture below and above is the actual book for sale. The current owner will donate 100% of the proceeds to the following charity

“A Fairer World” http://afairerworld.org

Postage: within Tasmania is free, contact mark@willowcourttasmania.org for other details including how to deposit funds directly into the charities bank account.

Cost: $300

Global, Local

Troubled Asylum For Sale (NOW SOLD)

October 18, 2017 No Comments

This copy has now been sold.

We have too many copies!

For sale, a second edition copy of “Troubled Asylum” by author Ralph Gowlland. This second edition, soft cover edition was published in 1996.

This version contains an extra forward by the then Minister for Community and Health Services, Peter McKay MLC.

This is a very clean copy with some writing on the inside cover (see picture below).

This is a hard to find book which covers the troubled history of the hospital from 1827.

All profits go toward the maintenance and continued research of this website.

$200.00 plus postage

Please contact me through my email address: mark@willowcourttasmania.org

Payment details PAYPAL

Global, Local

Troubled Asylum and letter

July 9, 2017 6 Comments

This first edition, signed copy of Troubled Asylum was delivered today and already has a buyer. That buyer had lost their own copy which was purchased while working at the Hospital and this one will be a welcome replacement.

This is a unique copy that the late author, Ralph W Gowlland gave to a friend and confidant and is in the best condition I have yet seen.

Inside was a letter/note from Dr Reginald V Parton, the then Psychiatrist Superintendent. The four page letter/note includes historical notes, present day statistics and the 1978 objectives and functions of the hospital (RDH).

I still have a waiting list of people who wish to buy a copy of this important document, so if you wish to sell a copy please contact me at mark@willowcourttasmania.org and I will put you in touch with buyers who have cash ready and waiting. If you wish to be added to the buyers list also contact me.

Trouble Asylum, Author R. W Gowlland. First edition, signed.

Global, Local

Troubled Asylum sold $285

November 29, 2015 13 Comments

Today a Launceston second hand book shop, “Just Tassie Books” advertised a copy of Ralph W Gowlland’s “Troubled Asylum” on their facebook page. This first edition copy, in good condition without the Author’s signature sold in a matter of hours for $285. The book is considered scarce, but not rare and is demanding a good return on it’s original $25 investment. The second edition copy, when printed was not selling and it was reported that a number of copies were simply given away. The second edition copy now sells for $150 plus and like the first edition is considered a necessary item for the Willow Court enthusiast and for the researcher or academic, an absolute must have item.

Other suggested reading is Dr Gavin M Crabbe’s, “History of Lachlan Park Hospital” (rare) and Lawrence Edward Cullen’s “Royal Derwent Hospital – past to present 1936 – 1978” is a great personal perspective, through the eyes of an employee who had seen many changes in the physical appearance of the hospital and the medical advancements in those years.

Other minor publications have connections with the Hospital in some way. Rachel Greene’s self published (out of print) book , “Through the Window” talks about her time living at the Willow Court Training Centre and her deinstitutionalisation into the Community during the 1980’s, while Marion Geyssel gives a pictorial essay in her book, “Royal Derwent Hospital – willow court”. She photographs the vandalised buildings and their remaining contents. Her now, out of print book has very few words and she mainly relies on the pictures to tell the story.

“The Background to the History of Nursing in Tasmania”, by Beatrix Kelly also contains some elements of the hospital’s history of “Mental Nursing”. “The Story of Keith Carter” by Jill McElwee, “Postcards from the Asylum” by Karen Knight an ex patient and “From darkness to light: a true story” of Carleen Paul a patient at Royal Derwent Hospital are all worth reading but scarce or rare to find. Listen to Carla Paul on our audio tab.

All of these books are not in print and can only be found in the State Library, TasTAFE Library or on the market through secondhand dealers who tend to deal in rare and scarce Tasmanian publications.

Global, Local

Willow Court For Sale or Lease

March 16, 2015 3 Comments

The Derwent Valley Council are about to discuss and ratify an expression of interest for the sale or lease of the Willow Court Heritage Precinct.

On Thursday the 26th of February I attended a public workshop with the Derwent Valley Council. This workshop didn’t have an agenda, but I assumed rightly so that it was about the future of Willow Court. From the public gallery where I sat the Councillors were to my right, Cr. Damian Bester who has been a long-time supporter of Willow Court and was elected after a few years of non-action at the site and after a public meeting he stood for Council, next to him was Cr. Lathey who at one stage voiced that he was on the Council in 2000 when the site was disposed of by the State Government. Alongside Barry Lathey are two of the newly elected Councillor’s, Frank Pearce and Paul Belcher. In the middle was the Mayor, Martyn Evans and to my left were the remaining Councillors Ben Shaw, Julie Triffett and James Graham.

We waited for any members of the public to come in and ask any questions of their elected Leaders during an open section of the Council meeting, but no-one took that opportunity. Later a representative, from the Friends of Frascatti sat in the back row behind me, next to the only other interested group representative, Aiden Sullivan from the Paranormal Investigation Unit.

The Mayor opened the session up with thoughts of the Councillors, one after the other they expressed their collective view of the future of Willow Court. There had clearly been much thought that had gone into what was being presented. We all listened as Barry Lathey started with his history from 2000, the “transaction good and bad” and we had “used up all the money for the site” and his disappointment of where we are at now. Damian Bester was “frustrated by the delay” with the now estimated new handover time of April\May 2015. Paul Belcher called it an “absolute eye sore” but it was Frank Peace who started to alert the Friends Committees to the Council’s direction when he stated that it would be opened up for “international expressions of interest”. This became a clear and a repeated theme as each Councillor expressed where they were at. It was the Council’s general opinion that all State and Federal funding resources had been totally exhausted and that the Port Arthur Authority are not interested in taking on the site.

Cr. James Graham had the idea of raising the collective rates by 8% and the Mayor quickly calculated the return, while a good idea it would be a brave Council that lifts the rates during a time of hardship and high unemployment, it would be what Sir Humphrey Applebee (Yes Prime Minister BBC Television) would call a “courageous decision”. It has shown that this Council had exhausted all ideas and funding options except for a generous donor who would have big pockets. At least $10 million dollars is needed to finish the conservation work to the desired standard as described in the conservation plan. The donor would then be able to run the site as a fully conserved tourist attraction.

The Mayor then opened up the floor to comments from the interested parties and there were a number of questions and responses. The APIU want a full plan to operate the site and this will be ready in 5 month, the Friends of Willow Court also will have a plan nearing completion soon to also operate the site. The Councillors all agreed that this was an unsafe site and that only a small number of rooms have had work and the remaining site is in a poor condition.

We all left subdued and somewhat reluctant to except the future plans that the DVC had expressed but not before asking what time frame this would take? The response would be at least 12 month to present the option before the council meeting in March and get together a proposal\synopsis funding document and advertise internationally. One more question was asked and that was, what happens if there isn’t any worthwhile replies? The Council then would offer the site back to the State Government.

I have had time to mull over the conversations and the position that was put to us and I now present my own response: I have visited the Port Arthur site and the Cascades Female Factory in preparation for the Friends of Willow Court to display the Willow Court site. I have been put through Thematic training so we present a professional tour and experience as good as any other site in Tasmania. Personally I have visited world heritage sites around the world and taken tours at as many as I could to gain a bigger international picture of where Willow Court sits in an international market. I have attended meetings of the Council’s own Committee, charged with the responsibility to create, run and market events at Willow Court. I am disappointed that an expression of interest is even being considered and disappointed that all I saw from the Derwent Valley Council was a joint “throwing up of arms” in frustration.

The Mayor told the gathered people how Associate Professor Heather Burke had opened his eyes to the potential of the site in the subject of archaeology as Flinders University plan on using the site for the next 10-20 years. During the visits, supported by the Derwent Valley Council to study and see Port Arthur and the Cascades Female Factory I have a full realisation that Willow Court has an outstanding Tourist potential. Port Arthur lacks a building that has been preserved to the standard that Willow Court has and the Cascades Female Factory has an open yard which doesn’t even have any building structure contained within it’s boundary walls and yet both of these wonderful places have a wonderful thematic interpretation that, like Heather Burke’s comment should open the eyes of the Councillors to the real opportunity. If one was to become a cynic this early into the four year election cycle you could be forgiven for believing that to get re-elected the Councillors will need to get rid of the “elephant in the room”, that being Willow Court and yet I also understand their frustration of Governments that choose not to keep Australia’s heritage assets, physically and socially, in the condition they deserve.

At a recent meeting with the Friends of Willow Court the Mayor and Friends of Willow Court Council Representative Frank Peace met with the Committee and explained the proposal. During this time one of the Committee asked what ethical/social basis would be maintained as a community standard for any owner or lease holder. The answer was this was completely open. One could assume that there may not be any standard to comply with at all and any social memory or important architecture design may not be maintained . Another question was about the sitting tenant, being the “nearly ready to move in, Community House”. What provision had the council made for having a sitting tenant? Again there appear to be no answer to this.

My belief is that the Community needs to stand up and state it’s beliefs and purposed intentions and expectations of the Heritage site and task the Derwent Valley Council with that agenda as they have already done so in the past. The expression of interest process is believed to take another 12 months, which could mean that the site sits idle for another 12 months waiting for future vandalism. This is still a “Troubled Asylum”. The only thing we know is that there won’t be a KFC in the Barracks! Click here to read the DVC’s March Agenda Item.

Global, Local

Troubled Asylum record prices

November 13, 2013 2 Comments

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.