Hawksbury, New Zealand
Hawksbury Village today
Hawksbury Village located in East Otago is a privately owned and managed Residential Village. It is run by a Board of Directors elected by the Shareholders of whom own properties in the Village.
Since the hospital site was converted to a residential village many modern homes have been built that now house local families. There are still a few privately owned buildings that were part of the hosptial network and some of the bigger ones called "Villas" these have now been converted to residential homes.
We are very lucky to have some brilliant amenities’ available in the Village. These include Hawksbury Christian Fellowship Church, Moana Gow Pool, Evansdale Cheese Factory and Matanaka Meats. Moana Gow Pool is a 20m, 4 lane heated pool there are swimming lessons, aquacize, adult lane swimming and more.
A new bus shelter has recently been built for the children in Hawksbury Village that use the local school bus services. This shelter also houses a new Hawksbury Village information map so that visitors can find their way easily, and locate the amenities in the village.
Residents enjoy a peaceful village life and there is a great sense of community spirit. Monthly Hawksbury Village newsletters are also written and distributed monthly to keep everyone informed about what is going on in the village.
Any information required regarding Hawksbury Village can be directed to the Hawksbury Village Management limited Secretary Kylie Scott at hvml@outlook.co.nz
Cherry Farm Hospital
Cherry Farm Hospital, a psychiatric hospital serving the Dunedin area opened here in 1952 [1] and patients from Seacliff Mental Hospital at Seacliff were relocated here. Cherry Farm Hospital epitomised the village-asylum atmosphere in name and design,[1] contrasting with the harsh conditions in the fortress-like Seacliff hospital.[1]
When the hospital closed in 1992, it was the consequence of new arrangements for the three groups of patients that remained. While at its peak Cherry Farm had many hundreds of patients, in latter years this number had dropped to below 400. Psychogeriatric patients were either transferred to a unit at Wakari Hospital, or to residential care in the community, people with intellectual disability moved to new lives in the community provided by a range of community agencies, one of which, Hawksbury Community Living Trust, is referred to below. General adult psychiatic patients were either transferred to new services at Wakari Hospital or into supported accommodation in the community.The closure of Cherry Farm Hospital was a key milestone in the policy of successive governments to implement "deinstitutionalisation". This process was completed nationwide in October 2006 with the closure of Kimberley Centre, Levin, the last large institution of its type.
One of the re-housing projects was the Hawksbury Community Living Trust which according to its website was "initially set up in 1992 to provide quality residential support for people with intellectual disabilities. The service opened its first home in Dunedin April 1992 and has since opened 10 further homes in Dunedin and Christchurch."
References
- 1 2 3 Nigel Benson, "Seacliff asylum's painful and haunting history" Otago Daily Times, Dunedin 27 January 2007