Willowburn Mental Asylum (1867 - 1953)

Benevolent Institution at Toowoomba, ca. 1902, c. 1902, courtesy of Picture Queensland, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.
Details

From

1867

To

1953

Categories

Disability Institution, Government-run and Home

Alternative Names

Benevolent Institution, Toowoomba (Also known as)

The Willowburn Mental Asylum was situated at the corner of Hogg and Tor Streets, North Toowoomba. The institution was run by the State of Queensland. It opened in 1867 and was renamed Toowoomba Mental Hospital in 1953.

Evidence shows that children were inmates of Queensland mental institutions however more research is needed to find out about children placed at Willowburn Mental Asylum.

Location

1867 - 1950?: Address - Willowburn Mental Asylum was situated at corner of Hogg and Tor Streets, North Toowoomba. Location: Willowburn

Timeline

1867 - 1953 Willowburn Mental Asylum
1953 - 1968 Toowoomba Mental Hospital
1968 - Baillie Henderson Hospital

Run By

Colonial Secretary (1859 - 1896)
Date: 1867 - 1896
Health and Home Affairs Department (1935 - 1963)
Date: 1935 - 1953
Home Secretary's Office (1896 - 1935)
Date: 1896 - 1935

Related Legislation

Mental Hygiene Act of 1938 (1938 - c. 1962)
The Mental Hygiene Act of 1938 required the provision of more active treatment for the mentally ill. It also attempted to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness through the introduction of what was considered less offensive terms for the mentally ill.

Publications

Online Resources

'The Brighter Side of our Mental Hospitals', Queenslander, 18 November 1916, p. 27, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23610910. Details
'Home for Mental Defectives', Courier Mail, 16 May 1934, p. 10, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article36711051. Details
Diana Mudgee: woman, mother, land owner, survivor, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, 2013, http://aiatsis.gov.au/collections/collections-online/digitised-collections/diana-mudgee. Details
Restraint to recovery - asylum to acceptance: from Willowburn Lunatic Asylum to Baillie Henderson Hospital, 1890-2010, May 2012, http://www.slideshare.net/mikisdad/restraint-to-recovery-asylum-to-acceptance. Details
Queensland Health, The road to recovery - a history of mental health services in Queensland 1859-2009, Queensland Government, 2013, https://www.health.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0028/444583/qld-mh-history.pdf. Details
Thomson, Rev Eileen, Baillie Henderson Hospital: A Century of Care 1890 - 1990, Baillie Henderson Mental Hospital Museum, 1990, http://bailliemuseum.wikidot.com/the-centenary. Details

Photos

Title: Benevolent Institution at Toowoomba, ca. 1902
Type: Image
Date: c. 1902
Source: Picture Queensland, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland

Details

Title: Women's Admission Ward
Type: Image
Date: c. 1905 - c. 1920

Details

Title: General view of hospital - 1915
Type: Image
Date: 1915

Details

Title: Shower Stalls [Baillie Henderson]
Type: Image
Date: c. 1950 - c. 1970

Details

Sources used to compile this entry: Queensland Health, The road to recovery - a history of mental health services in Queensland 1859-2009, Queensland Government, 2013, https://www.health.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0028/444583/qld-mh-history.pdf; Thomson, Rev Eileen, Baillie Henderson Hospital: A Century of Care 1890 - 1990, Baillie Henderson Mental Hospital Museum, 1990, http://bailliemuseum.wikidot.com/the-centenary.

Prepared by: Lee Butterworth

Created: 11 April 2013, Last modified: 14 April 2014

Willowburn Mental Asylum (1867 - 1953)