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Author Kells, Stuart, author.

Title The convent : a city finds its heart / Stuart Kells
Published Carlton, Victoria : Melbourne University Publishing, 2020

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Description 1 online resource
Series Second numbered series of the Miegunyah volumes ; number one hundred and ninety-one
Miegunyah Press series. Second numbered series ; no. 191
Contents Intro -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Acknowledgements -- 1. A secret, magical place -- 2. It began with lava -- 3. Sue's kitchen -- 4. Neither pot nor pan -- 5. A positive alternative -- 6. Growth -- 7. A social enterprise -- 8. A noble cause -- 9. Basket weavers -- 10. Flooded -- 11. The Great and the Good -- 12. Life at the convent -- 13. The legacy -- 14. Coming and going -- 15. Implacable -- 16. The end of an era -- 17. A gem -- 18. Everything you wanted -- 19. Saved -- 20. Open -- Timeline -- Notes -- Index
Summary What was behind the wall and the wire? The local people knew ... fine courtyards ... an old swimming pool ... dilapidated tennis courts and a remnant garden, now wild and sprawling. The Abbotsford Convent was this haunted place, left to languish for years after the last of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd had gone. In its prime it had been a school, a refuge, a retreat, a workhouse and a prison--the single largest charitable institution in the southern hemisphere. In the late 1990s a proposed high-density development threatened the idyllic riverside location, sparking outrage in the local community and further afield. Years of protesting, negotiating and fundraising followed and the convent, now on Australia's National Heritage List, has started a new life as a vibrant centre for art and culture. The Convent: A City Finds its Heart tells the story of the site's rich history and the efforts to preserve it. It is an uplifting tale of community activism--a tangible reminder that the magic of the past can endure and what people-power can achieve
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Subject Abbotsford Convent (Abbotsford, Vic.)
Abbotsford Convent (Abbotsford, Vic.) -- History
HISTORY / Australia & New Zealand
Buildings
SUBJECT Melbourne (Vic.) -- Buildings, structures, etc
Subject Victoria -- Melbourne
Genre/Form Electronic books
History
Form Electronic book
ISBN 0522876609
9780522876604