At first, William settled well into his new home. But then
again, he was only three years old when he was committed.
The judges diagnosis, “stupid”. This is how things were
done in the 1950’s when society wanted to hide away its
less fortunate people.
He spent most of his childhood confined to his crib. By his
teenage years William was becoming a problem. He was
becoming abusive. His “carers” wanted to have him moved
away. However, this time there was nowhere for him to be
moved to. By adulthood he could no longer be trusted with
his fellow patients, and he remained a problem until 1991
when his “home” for the past almost 35 years was closed
down following claims of patient abuse.
Today, William’s records remain, scattered amongst hundreds
of similar stories of neglect and suffering. The buildings
are slowly decaying and one cannot help but wonder if the
failing structures somehow resemble the failures of society
at large. Nature or a property developer will eventually
rescue the buildings. Who, or what will rescue
society?