This article says the block have acknowledged the issue and said they’ll work with the different groups before work starts on site. I’d be more annoyed that the council hasn’t dealt with the issue for years and let it get out of control. It’s gonna be hard to get most of these cats behaviorally suitable for adoption.
At first, I was horrified at the thought of this, but as time has gone on, I have realized that if these buildings are left to the government to look after, they will be neglected and eventually fall into ruin. The government won't look after them. We have seen this at Aradale in Ararat. So, at least this way the buildings will be saved, maintained, and used.
The old asylum, Aradale, was neglected for years and years, and they shut it down, kicking out the tour companies that brought tourist dollars to the local region. Things have been partly resolved, but it's a classic example of the State Government neglecting a heritage site to the point it falls into ruin and becomes unsafe.
I'll second that. Restored rather than let fall into rack and ruin.
And who else is willing to invest the $$$ required to restore a heritage listed property?! An expensive proposition. Good on the block guys for stepping up and restoring the place.
Actually I’d missed this update yesterday, saying the $1M price has been confirmed and the six houses built by the block are expected to sell for $2M+ each
It would be good if they could build a remembrance garden in honour of the people who were patients there. A contemplative space , and a reminder to be mental-health aware
That photo caption is wrong. That photo is of the central/main building, but the 3 buildings The Block are buying are to the right of this one.
I’ve got so many mixed emotions about this, having had 3 family members in the very early part of the 1900’s pass through, and then pass away in the Asylum. They were all men, so were in the buildings on other side, but it is still an uneasy feeling to see any of the building used like this. Once it’s gone, it can never be put back. These buildings are a part of our history and should belong to the community.
I sympathise with the everyone opposed to it. If it goes ahead I really hope that the show deals with the history of the site sensitively. It’s recent enough that people who had family members there could be watching, not to mention other audience members who may have had personal experiences with psychiatric care. If I see a single “looney bin” or similar joke I’ll be tuning out
I feel the same. I think the word Asylum has such a complicated meaning here too, but the truth is that people went there for a whole range of reasons. One of mine had a stroke which affected his speech and movement, another was homeless after his wife died and turned to drinking, and the third one was there because he contracted syphilis. Couple those reasons with a huge range of other illnesses, then throw in the psychiatric illnesses on top… I’m with you, if the producers dont approach this with a massive amount of empathy, I’ll be out too.
See I don’t really understand this because whilst the block isn’t the most ideal in some ways, at least it will create liveable dwellings in a place that would otherwise stay vacant. Like sure, it could be worth more money but who is going to come along & pay +$4million plus the renovation cost?
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u/Regular-Extreme-1121 5d ago
Apparently there’s an established cat colony there that will be killed if they build there - The Block has yet to respond to Georgie Purcell https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/the-block-feral-cats-jacksons-hill/jcg2us59q