My brother Randall Scott Carrington was first admitted as an involuntary patient into Lowson House Mental Ward, Brisbane Hospital, on 16/06/1978 aged 17. After five weeks he was admitted as an involuntary patient under 1974 Mental Health Act for a year and transferred to Wolston Park Mental Hospital. Initially he was placed in McDondald House. After a few weeks he was transferred into Pearce House, a brutal locked ward for convicted violent offenders.

Randall should never have been transferred into that ward where he was raped, bashed and given copious amounts of sedatives and anti-psychotics. He was never convicted of any offence and he did not pose a threat to anyone. Over the 18 months of his involuntary confinement in Wolston Park from 20 July 1978 to December 1979, he was subjected to shock treatment twice weekly without anaesthetic for months, forcibly given experimental psychotic drug treatments, abused, raped, escaped, returned, punished, and secluded in solitary confinement.

Found living with his boyfriend in November 1980, at a time when being gay was a crime and defined as a mental illness, he hung himself aged 20, in preference to the prospect of being returned to Pearce House, Wolston Park.

Healing and reconciliation require the truth, however horrible, to be told.

Here’s Randall’s story – or at least from what I remember visiting him in Wolston Park Mental Hospital.

Podcast 2: Randall’s Story 3 July 2022

Source: Mathew Condon, Courier Mail, 9 March 2017

I’d also really like to hear from anyone who remembers my brother Randall Scott Carrington, especially the social worker who helped him to be discharged into my care after 18 months.

Trigger warning this podcast talks about #Suicide #Rape #Torture #Abuse #ShockTreatment #ECT #Persecution of male homosexuals #ChemicalContsraints

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