Wacol Repatriation Complex

The Wacol Repatriation Complex was purpose-designed for the health treatment of returned members of the Australian Armed Forces and is located northeast of the Male Patients Area, separated from it by more than 250m.

It has been redeveloped since (c2012) for office use.

Features of state-level cultural heritage significance include:

• Layout of Buildings and Landscapes, Views • Recreation Grounds (c1954-5)

• Kitchen Block (1948)

• Wards A, B, and C (all 1948)

• Occupational Therapy and Recreation Hall (c1961)

• Former Cemetery Site (c1913-1945)

The layout of Buildings and Landscapes, Views

The terrain of this area slopes gently down to the southeast from a ridge, along the crest of which runs Wolston Park Road, the primary road access.

The buildings are arranged to direct their patients’ primary views and allow controlled access in the other direction, to the southeast towards the lower Recreation Grounds.

The area is laid out symmetrically with buildings spaced well apart by open lawns with mature ornamental trees, which are generally remnants of grander formal planting schemes

Features of the layout and views also of state-level cultural heritage significance are: 

• Road network and alignments pre-1956 (Wolston Park Road, Barrett Drive) and the open spaces where these roads have been removed (later roads have been added and are not of state-level cultural heritage significance)

• Symmetrical building and landscape layout with visual emphasis on Kitchen Block as a complex centre (tallest building, central fleche)

• Wide views from Kitchen Block, Wards A, B, and C downslope toward the Recreation Grounds and the Gailes Golf Course beyond

• Formal planting scheme (dating to pre-1952) of mature ornamental trees, shrubs, and walking paths including locations of removed trees, shrubs, and paths

• Terraforming around the southeastern sides of Wards A, B, and C.

 

Recreation Grounds (c1954-5)

The Recreation Grounds (c1954-5) comprises a mix of evenly sloped open lawn areas with mature trees around and between the buildings and extending down to a cricket oval (1954- 5) located at the southeast end of the complex.

The generous open grounds provide a spacious landscape setting for the buildings and were historically accessible to the patients for therapeutic recreation.

Formed and used by the patients, the level cricket oval has a timber fence and mature trees to its perimeter, with stone retaining walls forming terraces around its northwest side.

Features of the Recreation Grounds of state-level cultural heritage significance also include:

• Terraced and sloped ground form, open space, and extent of grounds

• Cricket oval (1954-5) – a large open grassed oval with a banked-earth edge to its southeast, low timber perimeter fence painted white, and timber-boarded sight screens at the northeast and southwest ends

• Stone retaining walls (c1960s) - three terraces formed by blue stone, curving around the northwest side of the cricket oval

• Mature trees including figs, jacarandas, poincianas, silky oaks, and mangoes.

 

Kitchen Block (1948)

The Kitchen Block was purpose-built as a central kitchen, dining room, and canteen for patients, and stands near Wacol Park Road, between Ward A and Ward B.

It is the most prominent building of the Repatriation complex and the centre of the area’s symmetrical layout.

Its original corrugated asbestos roof sheets, steel-framed windows, and most timber doors have been replaced, and it has been converted for use as offices.

Features of the Kitchen Block of state-level cultural heritage significance also include:

• Massing, form, construction: one storey with part lower ground level; lowset, freestanding brick and timber-framed structure, concrete and timber-framed floors, timber-framed hip roof

• Symmetrical plan form, layout: dumbbell-shaped building – ground floor: food preparation at northwest (near the road, food/goods delivery porches on Wolston Park Road retaining original delivery shelves), kitchen at centre, and communal dining room at southeastern end; patients’ access via side porches – lower ground floor: canteen with wide entrance on southeastern side opening onto the grassed area

• Robust materials: face brick exterior walls; concrete sills and lintels; plaster interior walls with scribed detail at waist height; concrete floors (throughout); concrete exterior ramps with steel pipe railings; sheet-and-batten lined eaves; cast iron and metal water goods; substantial copper fleche

• Wide views from the dining room out over lower Ward C to Gailes Golf Course

• Original joinery: basement doors (glazed and solid); board-lined verandah ceilings

• Architectural detailing for patient management (security, safety, hygiene): rounded and coved external wall corners.

 

Ward A (Jacaranda), Ward B (Silky Oak), and Ward C (Lilly Pilly) (all 1948)

Wards A, B, and C (all 1948) are three similar buildings arranged symmetrically around the Kitchen Block.

And was purpose-built as a repatriation ward for male patients, they express their original use through architectural details and features designed for patient care and reflect some principles of moral treatment.

Surrounded by open lawns, they are accessed from all sides and face southeast across a broad grassed courtyard down toward the Recreation Grounds.

They have been converted for use as offices, removing the original internal fixtures and approximately half their original partitions.

The buildings have had their original corrugated asbestos roof sheets, steel-framed windows, and most timber doors replaced, and plaster cornices and suspended ceilings have been installed: these are not of state-level cultural heritage significance.

Features of Wards A, B, and C of state-level cultural heritage significance also include:

• Massing, form, construction: one-storey, lowset, freestanding brick and timber-framed structures with timber-framed verandahs and hip roof • symmetrical plan forms: C-shaped buildings (Wards A and B, originally identical buildings) and H-shaped building (Ward C), with wings around a grassed courtyard on the southeast side; wide verandah around the courtyard

• Architectural detailing for patient management (security, safety, hygiene, moral treatment): o orientation and views out from the courtyard verandah and interior out to the Recreation Ground and its cricket oval and beyond to Gailes Golf Course o efficient and logical room layouts: multiple entrances via small porches (reflecting more accessible original function); visitor and medical treatment wing (separate entrance and circulation); wards of dormitories and single rooms; central corridors; communal ablutions for males only; centralised services/supplies rooms (communal kitchenette, laundry, linen store, nurse’s room); sequential disrobing, ablution, and robing rooms; soiled clothes hatch in disrobing room (blocked over); Wards A and B accommodate an occupational therapy room with separate entrance; large communal lounge and recreation rooms o robust and cleanable/hygienic materials and finishes: face brick exterior walls; concrete sills and lintels; plaster interior walls with scribed detail at waist height; concrete floors (verandah and subfloor level); timber floors (interior generally); sheet-and-batten lined eaves; cast iron and metal water goods measures for safety, security, and observation of patients: rounded and coved external and internal wall and floor corners high levels of natural light and ventilation to the interior: spacious rooms with high ceilings and large windows

• Original joinery: doors (glazed and solid); board-lined verandah ceilings and valances

• Courtyards (all garden beds, paths, and trees in courtyards are not of state-level cultural heritage significance).

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Occupational Therapy and Recreation Hall (c1961)

The Occupational Therapy and Recreation Hall (c1961) stands adjacent to Ward C on its northeast side.

Was purpose-built for accommodating groups of Repatriation Centre (male) patients for occupational therapy ‘shop’ work and general recreation (including film screenings), it is a small brick building with a verandah on its southeastern side and a gable roof.

It has been converted for use as offices and storerooms by inserting new partitions.

Some windows have been replaced but the building retains most of its original doors and windows.

The original corrugated asbestos roof sheets have been replaced with metal sheets of the same corrugation dimension.

Features of the Occupational Therapy and Recreation Hall of state-level cultural heritage significance also include:

• Massing, form, construction: one-storey, lowset, freestanding brick and timber-framed structure with concrete slab on the ground and timber-framed verandahs and gable roof.

• Symmetrical plan form, layout: rectangular building with central entrance onto front verandah aligned with wide entrance doors into the building; original partitions forming large hall space (with film ‘screen’ wall at the southern end) and storeroom, staff tearoom, and staff toilet at the southern end (non-original partitions are not of state-level cultural heritage significance)

• Robust and cleanable/hygienic materials and finishes: face brick exterior walls; ribbed metal sheet wall panels; concrete floors (verandah and subfloor level) with coved wall edges; flat ‘hardboard’ sheet-lined walls, ceilings, and eaves; metal water goods

• Concrete spoon drain at the rear.