Now a social graveyard?
State care abuse: Why we need an enquiry.
On the fringe of Levin, Cd Farm Road leads into nondescript farmland. About halfway along is a cluster of derelict buildings. There is nothing to suggest their significance.
One is an old school house. It is home to cooing pigeons. Their faeces covers the floor an inch deep.
The others offer no clue to their past function. Neglect has ravaged their solid 1950s design. One complex in the once-busy institution contains a disused pool and the remains of a gym, without the roof.
There is an eerie silence to the place, disturbed only by the long grass hissing in the wind. Walking down a fenceline, it appears someone recently tramped through. Maybe a visit, for old times' sake.
Separated from the main buildings by 100-odd metres and obscured by trees is a dirty, cream-coloured square concrete block. It has a low roof and a wing that juts out one side. On closer inspection it is hard to miss its purpose.
It was once a prison for boys.
It wasn't there in 1959-61 when I was there. What went wrong?
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/324425/smashed-by-the-state-the-kids-from-kohitere
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/on-the-inside/334640/state-care-abuse-why-we-need-an-inquiry
It wasn't there in 1959-61 when I was there. What went wrong?
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/324425/smashed-by-the-state-the-kids-from-kohitere
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/on-the-inside/334640/state-care-abuse-why-we-need-an-inquiry
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