The convent : a city finds its heart
Stuart Kells (Author)
What was behind the wall and the wire? The local people knew ... fine courtyards ... an old swimming pool ... dilapidated tennis courts and a remnant garden, now wild and sprawling. The Abbotsford Convent was this haunted place, left to languish for years after the last of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd had gone. In its prime it had been a school, a refuge, a retreat, a workhouse and a prison--the single largest charitable institution in the southern hemisphere. In the late 1990s a proposed high-density development threatened the idyllic riverside location, sparking outrage in the local community and further afield. Years of protesting, negotiating and fundraising followed and the convent, now on Australia's National Heritage List, has started a new life as a vibrant centre for art and culture. The Convent: A City Finds its Heart tells the story of the site's rich history and the efforts to preserve it. It is an uplifting tale of community activism--a tangible reminder that the magic of the past can endure and what people-power can achieve
eBook, English, 2020
Melbourne University Publishing, Carlton, Victoria, 2020
Miegunyah Press series, no. 191, number one hundred and ninety-one
Electronic books
1 online resource
9780522876604, 0522876609
1140730069
Intro
Title
Copyright
Contents
Acknowledgements
1. A secret, magical place
2. It began with lava
3. Sue's kitchen
4. Neither pot nor pan
5. A positive alternative
6. Growth
7. A social enterprise
8. A noble cause
9. Basket weavers
10. Flooded
11. The Great and the Good
12. Life at the convent
13. The legacy
14. Coming and going
15. Implacable
16. The end of an era
17. A gem
18. Everything you wanted
19. Saved
20. Open
Timeline
Notes
Index