Ipswich Hospital for the Insane (1910-1938)

The appointment of Dr H. Byam Ellerton ushered in a period of unprecedented growth for the Asylum. Chosen from a field of twenty-six applicants, Ellerton had fourteen years of experience in Britain behind him, and was an ardent supporter of moral treatment. By the time he retired in 1937 he had left a significant legacy.

In his report to the Queensland Parliament in 1910, he stated, “Patients continue to be usefully employed and are urged to occupy themselves by moral persuasion and recompense of tobacco, parole and other privileges. Employment in many cases is one of the most useful aids to recovery, coupled with wholesome food, regular hours etc. Seclusion and Mechanical Restraint – these forms of so called treatment are not beneficial to patients. The former should only occasionally be used, and the latter ought to be a rara avis ; in fact, such a form of treatment is not allowed in England, except in extraordinary circumstances, nor have I ever seen it resorted to during my fifteen years’ experience, until I came here, where it is in daily use. The whole question of the use or non-use of restraint is a matter of sufficient nursing staff proportionate to the number of patients”.¹

He felt the Asylum was chronically understaffed with staff having little or no training, and so implemented the first Mental Nursing training course, later incorporated into the Nurses’ Registration Board.² This greatly improved the care of the mentally ill. The current staff were offered a proficiency course of which eight out of ten passed.

Between 1910 and 1920 there was a veritable boom in the number of buildings erected at the Asylum. The buildings carefully followed the radial plan and formed the core of the present day campus.

Dr Foxton stated in his annual report: “Two buildings for which there is a great need are a suitable morgue and an operating room with appliances. On two occasions I have had to operate for strangulated hernia on one of the tables in the dining room at night under trying conditions”.³

Foxton also stated that “The patients appear to be well satisfied with the abundant supply of newspapers now supplied to them. A library would be a desirable asset but there is not yet any space for the housing of books”.⁴ Ninety years later, Building 8 stands as a testament to his dream.

By the end of 1914 there were 312 patients receiving care and Dr Foxton noted, “The female patients are a troublesome lot and as a rule, only one or two can be persuaded to sew”.⁵ He also mentioned that the male patients transferred from Goodna were of a useless and troublesome type. There were still no direct admissions to the Ipswich Asylum.

The Asylum began to take on the appearance of a small self contained village, growing their own vegetables and having a dairy, piggery and bakery, all labour being supplied by the patients with some help from the staff. The surplus production was sold and in 1913, they had made a total profit of £776/10/2d. The net cost of each patient per week was 12.2 shillings. ⁶

It was considered therapeutic and purposeful for the patients to be given work and this extended to many facets of running the Asylum. Everything from animal husbandry, carpentry, gardening, sewing, washing and cleaning was done by the patients and their efforts must have helped the Asylum to save a considerable amount of money and staff. Some regarded certain jobs as their own and became quite agitated if someone else was given “their” job. It was often arduous work – an old wooden polishing block (still in existence),used for the polishing of the floors - must have been quite cumbersome and heavy to use, and milking required a 4am start.

Recreation and enjoyment were also considered essential in terms of moral treatment and the construction of a Recreation Hall in 1916 completed the picture of a self contained village. The Recreation Hall is a delightful building. There is a perfect little theatre with a gallery for stage scenery and dressing rooms below. Outdoor recreation was just as important and this resulted in the construction of a tennis court and later the Sandy Gallop golf course.

By 1935, there were 534 patients and the Asylum had become an institution in its own right. A lack of facilities for “sub- normal” children resulted in the building of a ward to accommodate thirty children, situated at the northern end of the site. Completed in 1933, the building was soon filled to capacity and by 1940 another wing had been added. It became known as Dagmar House. This was the first purpose built facility for children with an intellectual disability.

By 1937 Dr Ellerton retired after 22 years. His achievements would include a host of new, purpose built buildings, well laid out gardens, formal training for mental nurses, and better care for patients. Treatment was limited to mainly custodial care and during this time the numbers of patients had climbed steadily. Very few were cured and able to leave the Asylum. However changes were in the air. In 1938 the institution was renamed the Ipswich Mental Hospital. The newly appointed superintendent, Dr Basil Stafford brought with him some very fresh ideas.