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New South Wales - Archival Collection

Diocese of Newcastle Children's Homes (1918 - 1987)

From
1918
To
1987

The Diocese of Newcastle Children's Homes is a collection of records held by the University of Newcastle, related to children's Homes and out-of-home-care services run by the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle from 1918 to 1987. Homes mentioned in these records include St Elizabeth's Girls Home; St George's Training Farm Home for Boys; St Alban's Boys' Home, Mayfield; St Christopher's Home for Little Children; St Christopher's Home for Little Children, Taree; St Alban's Boys' Home, Murrurundi; St Hilda's Hostel for Girls; St Alban's Home for Boys; and St Alban's Home for Boys, Morpeth.

Details

Access Conditions

Access to these records is governed by the Samaritans Foundation (which was previously known as the Newcastle Anglican Board of Social Work). People wishing to access these records need to contact the Samaritan Foundation to obtain permission. Proof of identity may be required. Access is provided in accordance with privacy laws - former residents of the children's Homes are able to access their personal records and information relating directly to them. The Samaritan Foundation can provide support and counselling if required.

Records

The University of Newcastle Archives holds a collection of records relating to the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle. This collection includes a group of records titled 'Diocese of Newcastle Children's Homes'. These records cover the period from 1918 to 1987 and include the following homes:

  • St Elizabeth's Girls Home
  • St George's Training Farm Home for Boys
  • St Alban's Boys' Home, Mayfield
  • St Christopher's Home for Little Children
  • St Christopher's Home for Little Children, Taree
  • St Alban's Home for Boys, Morpeth
  • St Hilda's Hostel for Girls
  • St Alban's Boys' Home, Murrurundi
  • St Alban's Home for Boys

The records relating to these homes include reports, agendas, registers, correspondence, Home cash books, appeals and applications, press cuttings, birth dates, and a small number of photographs.

These records are not listed in the University of Newcastle catalogue but a paper listing exists. The records have been assigned item numbers (a unique code to identify each record). These item numbers start with an A if the record is in a box, or B if the record is loose or in a folder.

People who experienced 'care' through any of these homes should be aware that a lot of institutions did not keep records about individual children. As such records are often grouped together by the name of the home or organisation they relate to rather than by the names of individual children. Additionally some records if they ever existed may have been damaged or lost over time.

Publications

Online Resources

  • University of Newcastle Library, Anglican Diocese of Newcastle Archives, Archives of the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle, including parish registers, records of the Bishops of Newcastle and the records of St John's Theological College at Morpeth held by Cultural Collections, University of Newcastle Cultural Collections, 2014, http://libguides.newcastle.edu.au/anglican. Details

Sources used to compile this entry: Emails received from the University of Newcastle Archives; University of Newcastle Archives finding aid "Diocese of Newcastle Children's Homes".

Prepared by: Nicola Laurent and Elizabeth Daniels