Cassandra Watson, "Community Project: NSW Writers' Centre," History Matters, (20 September 2015)

Cassandra Watson, "Crying in the Archives," History Matters, (6 November 2015)

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The present landscape of Callan Park refuses to let the past be forgotten. Although many of the buildings have been restored for modern use, one cannot visit the site without getting a keen sense of its historical significance. And this goes beyond a feeling – for the past few decades, since the closure of the Rozelle Hospital in 1990s, community members have fought to keep Callan Park out of the hands of property developers. While this was partly due to the desire to maintain public open space in the suburb, these campaigns also appealed to the historical and cultural significance of the site. A NSW Public Works Heritage Study deemed that the site should be subject to a detailed conservation plan, considering its importance as a heritage space.[1] In 2002, legislation was also passed to prevent residential and other adverse development in Callan Park.[2]

But if the history of Callan Park is glimpsed in its built landscape, and protected by government legislation, how does that affect the way that visitors interact with the site? From my discussion with others visitors to the NSW Writers’ Centre, it seems that interest in this history is strong but knowledge weak. Many conversations veered towards the beauty of the old buildings, or snippets of knowledge about their history. There is no shortage of information available for those who seek it – the historian Roslyn Burge compiled extensive oral history testimonies surrounding Rozelle Hospital, and Ken Leong used it as the subject of his thesis and subsequent journal articles. But as a writer, I see great potential for harnessing the site’s fascinating past for creative inspiration. More than just informing people about history, my project is aimed at engaging with it and allowing it to shape the way that the site is used today. Specifically, I am using the history of writers in Callan Park as an entry point.

My target audience is, naturally, the members and visitors of the Writers’ Centre. As the organisation occupies an important heritage building (Garry Owen House), I see a need for telling the history of this place in a way which captures the imagination. Writers are renowned for finding inspiration in all kinds of places, and I hope that their surroundings will provide abundant fuel for creativity. A few months ago I attended a historical fiction writing workshop at the Centre, and was particularly struck by the way that the other attendees connected with history when they had a personal association. For instance, many were writing works based on stories passed down from their ancestors. They channelled this personal connection with this past into fiction, and that’s the kind of inclination I’m aiming to build upon with this project.

After exploring different options, I settled on creating a walking tour which focuses on writers who occupied the site throughout history. The historical information is interspersed with writing prompts to encourage participants to use what they learn as creative inspiration. My project is presented in two forms. Considering the diverse age range of the Writers’ Centre’s members, I have opted for an approach which allows multiple modes of access. There is a paper brochure as well as an electronic version, which is in PDF form and works like a self-guided slideshow when opened on a smartphone. My hope is that by having these two options the tour will be more widely utilised.

The implicit argument of this project is that the history of a place can strongly affect the present activities and uses. It makes sense, then, that my evidence relies heavily upon the site of Callan Park itself. The research I have conducted using secondary sources is intended to help people make sense of the history they see before them, fleshing out the stories which the landscape only hint at.

One of the most significant things I had to consider about this tour was the number of stops I would include. The park is extensive, around twice the size of Hyde Park, but I wanted to keep my focus more localised around the Writers’ Centre. As some of the members would have mobility issues, I’ve made it short and inclusive with only a few stops. This allowed me to focus on producing quality content rather than spreading myself thin. The inclusion of writing prompts made this decision easier – the tour would last for days if they had to write creative pieces at twenty different stops!

The Writers’ Centre has a noticeboard and brochure stand just inside its main entrance, so this is where my brochure will likely be displayed (along with instructions for using the electronic version of the tour). There are various possibilities for marketing the tour, and I intend to use as many of them as practicable once the final tour has been approved by Jane. Using my own and the Centre’s accounts I can spread the word via social media. There are a few relevant blogs which I’ll contact to offer copies of my project: Leichhardt Council’s local history blog and the Friends of Callan Park organisation. The latter is a particularly important avenue because they campaign to preserve Callan Park and therefore my tour will help to highlight its historical significance. I intend to contact the Heritage Group of Leichhardt District to see whether they are interested in me sharing my project with the group, and I’m sending it in to be considered for inclusion by the English Teachers Association’s journal mETAphor. Lastly, I intend to submit it for the Public History Prize.

Once the project has been finalised, I will continue working with it beyond its due date. When the tour is up and running Jane has agreed to discuss whether we can use their website to host people’s compositions based on the prompts. I will market it by the avenues just mentioned, and hope to be able to tell other members of the Centre about it in person at various events. As I am involved with this organisation and attend events on a regular basis, it won’t be difficult or arduous to continue promoting this project. And with all the work and passion I’ve poured into it, I’m not giving it up that easily! 

— CASSANDRA WATSON

NOTES

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[1] A Heritage Study of Rozelle Hospital: Draft, July 1991, Environmental Design Group, NSW Public Works Department.

[2] Callan Park (Special Provisions) Act 2002 No 139, NSW