

There Was Once an Asylum

This site not only provides an overview of mental health history and its implications for Goodna, but also explores the complex relationship between memory and history.
We may never know some stories, but this site uncovers history, revealing the layers of understanding that underpin the present.
It is done in a way that honours the patients, clients, and the people.


Osler House (Male Ward 14),
Osler House is a single-storey brick building. It was designed for more difficult patients who needed single cells.
As part of the major upgrading and expansion of the male section, plans were prepared in 1916 for two small wards for the more violent and troublesome patients. Construction was postponed for more than a decade due to other priorities. Work on the new ward finally began in 1918, and it opened on 10 August 1929, when Home Secretary JC Peterson opened it.
The building was brick, with a tiled roof and tiled iron verandah. It provided accommodation for 34 patients in single bedrooms. While the building followed standard principles of moral treatment, it included several innovations and refinements compared with the wards erected in the 1910s. The building had no square corners as all external corners were rounded and all internal corners cavetted.
The building was enclosed with a K-wire fence. The building overlooked the vegetable garden, and Ellerton hoped this would benefit the patients and encourage them to work in the garden.
In 1963, the ward was converted to a security ward, costing £7,600, with further security provisions made in 1967.
Chronolgy
1929: building opened for patients
1963: additional security - barbed wire fencing
1965: conversion of single room to staff room
1967: additional security - windows, doors, and skylights
1977: additional security - personal lock to main entry
Pearce House (Male Ward 15)
Pearce House was opened in 1934 and was designed to accommodate the violent and difficult patients. As part of the major upgrading and expansion of the male section, plans were prepared in 1916 for two small wards for the more violent and troublesome patients. Construction was postponed for more than a decade due to other priorities. Work on the new ward began in 1932, and it was completed in 1934 for £10,156; Home Secretary Edward Hanlon opened it on 14th May 1934. It was immediately occupied by epileptic patients who were disruptive in other wards, as it was believed that segregation would promote peace and quiet in the institution. The original plan was identical to Osler House; however, to maximise accommodation, the final plans converted the eastern wing into a dormitory. It comprised 23 single rooms, dining rooms, a servery, two observation rooms, a general dormitory ward, an attendants' office, a bathroom and lavatories.
Chronolgy
1934: building construction complete
1967: additional security added
























