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Callan Park: Hospital for the Insane by Sarah Luke

Callan Park:Hospital for the Insane by Sarah Luke

Tales of Victorian-era madness have imbued twenty-first century minds with images of inconvenient husbands and wives, locked up in attics or diseased madhouses in the English countryside, without hope of real care or release. But what was the reality faced by the ‘insane’ in nineteenth-century New South Wales?

In 1874 Sir Henry Parkes purchased the pleasure grounds that were Callan Park and turned them into the jewel in the crown of New South Wales’ mental healthcare. Despite local protests, Garryowen House became the site’s first hospital – equipped with a cricket pitch, farm, orchard and zoo. Soon the asylum proper was built and became home to over 700 patients.

Callan Park, Hospital for the Insane uses Victorian-era medical files to explore the lives of the first patients and staff of the early hospital, detailing their daily routine, treatment, escapes and cures.

Available from your local book store.

To contact the author: email sarah-luke.com

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About Callan Park & Friends of Callan Park

Callan Park is a heritage-listed site in Sydney, Australia. It is bordered by Balmain Road and Manning Street, Rozelle and Glover Street, Lilyfield and runs down to Iron Cove.

Friends of Callan Park is a community action group of volunteers who for over 22 years have been advocates for protecting Callan Park against sell-offs and development.

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Should you have any security concerns or observe any vandalism or graffiti when visiting, please don’t hesitate to contact Callan Park Security on 0402 696 321 or call the Police. Security want to be notified of all issues large and small.

Friends of Callan Park acknowledge the Traditional Owners, the Wangal and Gadigal peoples of this country on which Callan Park and Broughton Hall stand. We pay respect to the Elders past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional Custodians of knowledge for these lands.

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