Callan Park - the green asylum

Callan Park is where you’ll find Callan Park Hospital for the Insane - closed but still standing. It's the biggest green space in the inner west. And it’s got a chequered history. Find out.. Why this spot was chosen for mental health? How ‘green therapy’ came and went? What is the crocodile of Callan Park? How the community fights to keep it going? And how the quality of our parks impacts mental health. Guests Hall Greenland, President of Friends of Callan Park Drew Roberts, Shared Knowledge Deborah Lennis, Inner West Council Cultural Advisor Roslyn Burge, historian and author Peter Gray, former patient and member of Friends of Callan Park Jenna Bateman, former mental health nurse at Callan Park and CEO of Mental Health Coordinating Council 2000 - 2017 Stephen Gillespie, Coordinator of Glovers Garden community garden Emma and Kimmy, members of Glovers Garden community garden Xiaoqi Feng, Associate Professor in Urban Health and Environment at UNSW Read the Show Notes Hosted by Bernie Hobbs. Produced by Jane Curtis. Sound engineering by John Jacobs. Special thanks to Roslyn Burge. Brains trust was Kate Lawrence. Artwork by Dylan Tonkin.