Morisset Hospital is named after soldier
James Morisset (1780-1852), the second commandant of the penal colony at
Norfolk Island. Clearing and construction for the hospital commenced in 1906, with a staff of three male attendants and six patients living side by side in tents. The first structure completed was a jetty, and then a dam, and then the first temporary ward. Building material was transported across the lake by barge. In 1907, the first manager, George Edwards was appointed. He supervised clearing the land and preparing the site. Arthur John Wilson was transferred from Kenmore Mental Hospital in Goulburn to supervise construction of roadways to enable access for building, including “The Avenue”, now the main road leading to the township of Morisset. Construction of Ward 1 and the Recreation Hall commenced in 1908. The first patients arrived on 9 May 1909, and Ward 1 opened on 6 September. There were 78 male patients at that time. Construction of further buildings was well underway. By 1910, there were 157 male patients. Temporary calico dormitories were erected. These buildings consisted of a wooden frame, calico side panels, wooden floors and a canvas fly over the whole building. The manager's residence was constructed. The cricket oval, poultry yards and gardens were completed in 1911. The hospital had 243 male patients in 1912 (mostly housed in the calico wards), rising to 288 in 1913 and 375 in 1914. The first medical officer, Dr Samson, commenced duty in 1912, replacing a
Gosford doctor visiting once a week. The building programme was largely suspended during
World War I, although the hospital fishing fleet was assembled and the main store completed in 1916. By 1918, the population had reached 484 male patients, 93 in excess of the accommodation. By 1920, although a new ward had opened, the population had risen to 512 men, and overcrowding was very bad. In 1930, land was set aside for the establishment of a Hospital for the Criminally Insane, the first prison specifically set up for the criminally insane. It commenced operation in 1933, by which time 672 men were at Morriset. The first female patients and nursing staff arrived in March 1934. New Male Refractory wards were opened in March 1938.
World War II resulted in another halt to construction work due to a lack of funds. A serious drought in 1939 resulted in an acute water shortage at Morriset, requiring the construction of an emergency service from Pourmalong Creek. The chapel was opened and dedicated in August 1957, and the dairy opened in July 1962. By 1963, there was a patient population of 1490. In 1965, the integration of male and female wards commenced. The number of admissions decreased and there was a rise in the discharge rate, resulting in a decrease in pressure on hospital beds. Large wards began to reduce the number of beds. By 1970, patient numbers were declining due to more patients being eligible for disability pensions, more effective medications, treatment programs, and a change in community attitudes. Early 1970s, the "boys" from Peat & Milson Islands started being transferred to Morisset. Patient work gangs ceased operation in 1974. In 1985, the hospital was divided into two distinct and separate entities – Psychiatric Services and Development Disability. Wards 16, 18, 19 and 20 closed. In 1991, Ward 21 (“The Crim”) was closed, and Wards 19 and 20 were demolished. In 1992, Ward 9 closed, Ward 11 patients moved into the old doctors and paramedical staff cottages, and a new state of the art forensic psychiatry security unit was built on the site of the demolished wards 19 and 20. The new Morriset Multipurpose Centre opened in November 2004. == Description ==