Mike Parr event nearly here. Dark Mofo.

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Full article from this weekend’s Mercury, click here.

Dark Mofo’s presence at Willow Court will include a “site activation”, with food vans and the like setting up around New Norfolk to help create a festival atmosphere in the Derwent Valley town.

Local shops will also decorate their frontages with mirrors in reference to Mike Parr’s work.

Willow Court was only closed in 2001, a surprisingly recent end for the institution-style mental-health facility, which housed its first patients way back in 1827.

It is still an intimidating and, in parts, unnerving building, its complicated history occupying a similarly complicated place in the minds of people who have some connection with it, or who lived in the community when it was operating.

Curator Jarrod Rawlins says the local community is supportive of the project and great care has been taken to be respectful of the site’s history.

“And it is also a great thing for a small community like New Norfolk to have such a big, important, international artist doing a project there,” he says.

“These things normally find themselves at places like the Sydney Biennale or other big cities and central places.

“But this is being done in this spot because of the site, and people will come because of that.

“And up there in winter it’s beautiful – the cold air, a bit of fog. If the interstate visitor wanted the drama of Tasmania in the winter, that has to be New Norfolk. And being free, people don’t have to think too hard, they can just go.”

Entry to Asylum is free. Open 24 hours a day, from Thursday, June 9, to Sunday, June 12 (by appointment after dark; register online). Open noon-4pm on Monday, June 13, and from noon-4pm on Saturday, June 18, and Sunday, June 19.

Entry by Mirror Only, performed in Asylum, will start at noon on Thursday, June 9, and go for 72 hours. To enter, bring a mirror – which you will leave behind. darkmofo.net.au/asylum

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Council back MOFO event with $37.900 event co-ordination

On the 5th May the Derwent Valley Council considered the Event Co-ordination Quote for support around the Dark MOFO event. A range of events and services were considered as part of the planning including:

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It is unclear at the moment if the “Proposed street events to compliment the Dark MOFO event to be held at Willow Court in June 2016″ was passed by the Council. It is expected that 8000 people will visit the free exhibition during the 72 hours that Mike Parr will be working.

The proposal is suggesting entertainment, marketing, stageing,  security and transportation, bonfires, lighting, food and drinks. This is the first big event that the site has had since the stage one restoration was completed and is inline with the DVC plans for the site to be an events centre of quality which would attract people and support the business opportunities of the town and area.

The full plan is 2 May 2016 – Special Council Meeting Agenda or click the picture above.

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Back in the office after 20 years

IMAG0690 It’s been twenty years since Tony Nicholson has returned to his old office on the second floor of the Administration building at Willow Court Training Centre. While we had a tour hosted by Ruben Cortes about the current state of the building and its restoration and repurposing, Tony was able to tell the Friends of Willow Court Committee and representatives of the Willow Court History Group about who occupied each of the rooms and their uses during his history as an employee of the hospital. It was a very insightful tour and it was interesting to see Tony as he entered this room after twenty years.

Like many staff the place was filled mostly with good memories, funny stories and struggles with consecutive Governments for the basics needed to support the many people that called Willow Court Training Centre\Royal Derwent Hospital home.

Since the closure, Tony has had a passion for the site and it’s history. He has wished only for a honest recording of history and has conducted many tours to educate people from historic societies, educational institutions and the general public. He has remained on the Friends of Willow Court special committee of the Derwent Valley Council. The Derwent Valley Council are the current owners of the Heritage Precinct area.

Tony has been a valuable historic consultant to this Willow Court History Group, our website and has helped many people who have contacted me through the facebook page and website in an attempt to find out information about the history. His knowledge of the early history of convicts and the military presence is second to none.

He has also been a part of the Derwent Valley Historic Society and has been a co-author of many historic books and articles that the group produce. Because Willow Court\Royal Derwent Hospital was a large employer for over 174 years most historic books have something about the hospital and how it fitted into the fabric of the community of New Norfolk and surrounding areas.

He also has been involved in cataloging many of the artifacts that came out of the hospital after it’s closure in 2000. He has, along with the Derwent Valley Historic Society manage many general community and hospital memories through artifacts, papers and displays.

Last year we revealed that the Friends of Willow Court Member, Mr Anthony David (Tony) Nicholson, of Lachlan, has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to local government and to the community of the Derwent Valley. Tony had served as Mayor on the DVC for a number of years.

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