Damage continues at Willow Court

imag1627Students 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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Heritage month plans

Heritage week

The Friends of Willow Court and the Friends of Frascati are both planning events for 2016 Heritage month. The Friends of Willow Court are looking at tours with Associate Professor Heather Burke and Mark Woodley on the 14th and 15th of May 2016, while the Friends of Frascati House are looking at an Open House on the 8th May 2016.

This is a great opportunity to hear from those that have been working at Willow Court. Hear what has been found so for from Archaeology investigation and listen to Mark talk about his work on the external wall, pictured and restored below.

Both tours are before the Derwent Valley Council for final approval.

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More information when it becomes available.

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Governor of Tasmania, Professor the Honourable Kate Warner, and Mr Warner at Civic reception at Willow Court.

Governor of Tasmania, Professor the Honourable Kate Warner, and Mr Warner commenced an official visit to the Municipality of Derwent Valley.

Today the Governor of Tasmania, Professor the Honourable Kate Warner, and Mr Warner commenced an official visit to the Municipality of Derwent Valley.
In the morning at Boyer, the Governor and Mr Warner undertook a tour and met with staff at the Norske Skog Paper Mill.
Later, the Governor and Mr Warner visited New Norfolk Primary School where they met with students and staff followed by a visit to the Ptunarra Child and Family Centre.
In the afternoon the Governor and Mr Warner attended a luncheon at Woodbridge on Derwent, followed by a civic reception hosted by the Municipality of Derwent Valley at Willow Court, prior to undertaking a tour of buildings and grounds.

The civic reception is being held in the Bronte Building with invited guests.

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Flinders University Blog site

Keep up to date on all things Archeology from Flinders University at Willow Court field school by subscribing to their student blog site. Each students writes about their experiences and the work they were involved in, discovering the hidden history of the site. Information that links the past to real people can be read here along with photos of articles and finds that inspire a student of Archeology and passionate enthusiast alike.

Each year the field school return to Australia’s oldest continually run hospital for the feeble minded and the invalid alike. The history is buried deep in our convict past, even the first staff were taken from the convict population, which set the site up for a brutal past history unlike asylums that were created for the free settler population.

Each year the work is more in depth and requires a lot more activity and equipment as the momentum builds toward a dig site.

The Derwent Valley Council should be congratulated on this partnership and it’s the sort of professional activity and development that is needed on the site. Based on the findings, tour groups can hear about real science based hypothesis that either supports or tells a different story to our already expanding written literature.

From this the best thematic interpreted tours and stories can be developed over the next ten years while the University use the site for their field school.

Click the picture below to access the blog site.

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Picture of the Students working at marking out a grid before doing a Geophysics survey.

(c) Copyright 2015 mark krause.

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Communication system

The old communication system at Willow Court is a mess of wire and broken bakelite phones on the floor of the Barracks. It’s been a busy job going through the bits and pieces for archaeology investigation. What to keep and what to discard? Can anyone remember these being in place?

click image above and arrow to move to next picture.

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