Lake Alice Hospital Website

Hi everyone, I am writing cause both my mother and father both worked at lake alice..
John Bragg and Anna Bragg.. they both worked in the kitchen.. I can remember when I was a chi8ld that my father for a few years played santa..My father was a big man, so the costume fitted well...I know that from reports that bad things happened but you have to understand that good things happened too...My father was a great and good man...Through the years we all have been educated more so I know if we had the resourses that we understand now, alot of stuff would not have happened....I worked as a community support worker for the Intellectually disabled AND i KNOW THIS JOB AINT EASY ...and we learn as times goes by..If anyone knew my father or mother, my father also as a chef worked for Ohakea Airbase, You may contact me at reasmartin@yahoo.co.nz...I also would be proud to help out in anyway I can...They did there best, the people that had a heart, so much beyond there control..

Regards Sharon Martin
AKA Bragg

It was nearly forty years ago that I used to visit a teenage friend at Lake Alice Hospital.
Life in the early seventies and late sixties was a much different world as we know it today. Today’s technology has created a much different way of thinking. Information is now more readily available as is shown here at this website.
My friend had schizophrenia I used to watch her eyes change and I would know that she was going from one state of character to another. She knew who I was in both of her personalities. In one personality she was caring happy and considerate, in the other she was aggressive and violent towards everyone it was as though she suddenly had a heart of stone. I had the painful experience of being bashed about the head. Neither talking nor any reasoning could change her state of mind.
Nonetheless I would travel from Wellington to Lake Alice to see her every weekend on my motorbike the trip was very cold and the dark set in early in winter.
The staff at Lake Alice did not forbid me entrance and in fact I was given an afternoon meal with patients in the kitchen dining area. Most of the areas I was forbidden to enter but as with all young men, at times I did not abide and was told to leave the area with good explanation as to why.
My friend had lost both of her parents at an early age and was institutionalised as was often the case in those times. Her grandparents tried to help but could not cope, as far as I know if she had other relations they were not very helpful.
My friend in her early teens ran away from the institute to live for a period on the streets.
I asked what you did for regular food she said she didn’t eat and that after a while the hunger goes away.
My friend became pregnant and had a little girl whilst in this predicament. It was not possible for her to keep her child so unlike the helpfulness of social welfare of today her child was adopted out.
Not long after this she tried to take her own life, this was very much a criminal act in those days and so she was referred to Lake Alice as though she was a criminal.
One day she ran away from Lake Alice to see me in Wellington. The police soon arrived at my place of work and at my home to return her to Lake Alice and I was warned that I was committing an offence by harbouring her.
I have very clear memories of Lake Alice hospital the staff and quite a few of the patients.
I know about the eclectic shock treatment and the patients being drugged. I have seen firsthand the epileptic fits that this treatment caused.
I know the staff that I related with including the nursing staff male and female where kind and helpful but just like me at the time, I was ignorant and powerless to contest the word of authority and did not think that the medical treatment given was wrong even though my gut feeling told me it was.
Over the past forty years my thoughts my feelings for Lake Alice remain.
As with any large institute there are always a few evil bastards who placed high importance to themselves alongside the mainly good intentioned people. Do not condemn them all! Do not sensationalise a very sad period of time.
My love is still there for those patients.