Courting our history

HISTORY buffs will get a rare chance to look inside the buildings of Willow Court today as part of the Australian Heritage Festival.

The Friends of Willow Court are hosting a festival event at the historic New Norfolk site from 10am-4pm.

FoWC treasurer Vivienne de Bressac said there would be a range of displays and activities, including walking tours.

“These buildings are almost never open to the public, so this is a really big event,” Ms de Bressac said.

Helen Norrie, from Architecture and Design at the University of Tasmania, has been working with the council and the community to look at the future uses of Willow Court since last year and will be attending the event.

“If anyone wants to bring any [Willow Court] memorabilia that they might have ... that is an artefact that’s in their family, we’re going to photograph those things so we’ve got a collection and a note of where these things are,” Dr Norrie said.

Dr Norrie is particularly interested in photographing garden gnomes that were made at Willow Court. Her colleague, Professor of History Hamish Maxwell-Stewart, is doing a project looking at the effects of incarceration on mental health.

He will be at the event with archives for visitors to look up relatives and will also be conducting short talks.

New Norfolk High School students will be showing their heritage-month work, interviewing a community stalwart for a display, and will have a collection of school yearbooks for viewing.

“I think it’s really exciting for our students to work on an authentic history project around their local community with an external audience for them to come and see,” principal Adam Potito said.

“It certainly makes the history come alive, and also adds to the understanding of the community.”