David Llewellyn is getting the word out

David Llewellyn is getting the word out into the broader Tasmanian community about the restoration efforts with Leon Compton on ABC local radio last Thursday 12.09.13. Although nothing was revealed as ”new” news, David again referred to the site as a site of conscience. This is the second time that this has happened and a reassuring statement that the Chairperson of the Willow Court Conservation Committee has a good understanding about the people (social) history of Australia’s oldest asylum.

Part of getting more funding for Willow Court relies on a successful conservation plan and some physical evidence to show that current funds are being spent wisely. One of the ways to get that message out about Willow Court and how the restoration process is going is to hit the media. The interview was edited as a lot of political and forestry talk happened as David is preparing to campaign to re-entry the political lime light again in March 2014 at the Tasmanian State elections.
Click here to listen to the edited audio interview

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The many roles of the Royal Derwent Hospital in the early seventies

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• Acute admission unit (includes the most violent patients from the whole state)

• Convalescent unit (all patients requiring more than six weeks in-patient care)

• Chronic psychotic rehabilitation unit

• Disturbed epileptic holding unit

• Elderly psychotic holding unit

• Psycho-geriatric acute admission unit

• Psycho-geriatric chronic disturbed holding unit

• Housing for senile dements (not requiring hospital care who have nowhere else to go)

• Chronic sick not mentally ill but ‘difficult’

• Mental retardation assessment unit

• Mental retardation children in-patients unit

• Totally dependent unit

• Mental retardation education & training young patients

• Mental retardation holding unit older patients

• Mental retardation rehabilitation unit

• Disturbed mentally retarded holding unit

• Youthful offenders male

• Youthful behaviour disorders in males (not yet offenders)

• Youthful behaviour disorder female (not offenders – not under propel’ control)

• Youthful offender’s female (minor offences)

• Older psychopaths

• Older subnormal offenders

• Psychotic offenders (serious offences)

• Psychotic offenders (minor offences)

• Socially incapable

• Chronic neurotics

• Social nuisances

• Alcoholics

Memories, stories of Tasmania’s Last Mental Asylum 1960-2001 (Draft) NDS

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