Brush Farm Reformatory (1908 - 1912)

Main block, Brush Farm, September 1910, courtesy of State Library of New South Wales.
Details

From

1908

To

1912

Categories

Children's Home, Government-run, Home and Reformatory

Alternative Names

Brush Farm
Dundas Refomatory

Brush Farm Reformatory was operated by the Department of Public Instruction from 1908 at Brush Farm, Eastwood, in the Dundas Valley. It had been the Carpentarian Reformatory for Boys. Brush Farm Reformatory closed in 1912 when the boys were moved to the Gosford Farm Home for Boys at Mount Penang.

Brush Farm is in an area of Eastwood that is part of the Dundas Valley, so this reformatory is often called Dundas Reformatory.

A number of boys from Brush Farm Reformatory were taken to Kariong in 1911 to help construct the buildings and lay out the grounds for Gosford Farm Home for Boys. They lived in tents and were supervised by a staff member from the Brush Farm Reformatory. Once Gosford Farm Home was complete Brush Farm Reformatory was closed down.

Location

1908 - 1912: Location - Brush Farm Reformatory was situated at Brush Farm, Brush Road, Eastwood (Dundas). Location: Eastwood

Related Organisations

'Sobraon' Training Ship (1892 - 1911)
The 'Sobraon' Training Ship was used until 1911 when the remaining boys were sent to the Mittagong Farm Home for Boys and the Brush Farm Reformatory.

Related Places

Brush Farm (1803 - )
Brush Farm Reformatory was established in the homestead and outbuildings at Brush Farm

Date: 1908 - 1912

Publications

Books

Rubie, Valerie, Sent to the Mountain: A History of Mount Penang Juvenile Justice Centre, Closure Committee of Mount Penang Juvenile Justice Centre, Gosford, 2003, 236 pp. Details

Online Resources

History of Mt Penang Parklands, Central Coast Regional Development Corporation (NSW Government), https://web.archive.org/web/20151027022741/http://www.ccrdc.nsw.gov.au:80/MtPenangParklands/History.aspx. Details
'Mount Penang Juvenile Justice Centre', in State Records Authority of New South Wales website, State of New South Wales through the State Records Authority of NSW 2016, https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/agency/486. Details
'Brush Farm', in State Heritage Register, NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, 2003, https://www.hms.heritage.nsw.gov.au/App/Item/ViewItem?itemId=5045464. Details
Crawford, John, 'Establishment of the Children's Court', in History of the Children's Court, Lawlink, Lawlink NSW, 2012, http://www.childrenscourt.justice.nsw.gov.au/Documents/Establishment%20of%20the%20Children%27s%20Court%20-%20Then%20and%20100%20years%20on.pdf. Details
Quinn, Peter E, Unenlightened efficiency: the administration of the juvenile correction system in New South Wales 1905-1988, University of Sydney, History, 27 March 2006, http://hdl.handle.net/2123/623. Details

Photos

Title: The principal's quarters, Brush Farm
Type: Image
Date: September 1910
Source: State Library of New South Wales

Details

Title: The dining room, Brush Farm
Type: Image
Date: September 1910
Source: State Library of New South Wales

Details

Title: The dairy and stables, Brush Farm
Type: Image
Date: September 1910
Source: State Library of New South Wales

Details

Title: Brush Farm Reformatory quarters
Type: Image
Date: September 1910
Source: State Library of New South Wales

Details

Title: Laundry, Brush Farm
Type: Image
Date: September 1910
Source: State Library of New South Wales

Details

Title: Main block, Brush Farm
Type: Image
Date: September 1910
Source: State Library of New South Wales

Details

Title: Brush Farm Reformatory dormitory
Type: Image
Date: September 1910
Source: State Library of New South Wales

Details

Sources used to compile this entry: 'Mount Penang Juvenile Justice Centre', in State Records Authority of New South Wales website, State of New South Wales through the State Records Authority of NSW 2016, https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/agency/486.

Prepared by: Naomi Parry

Created: 10 April 2012, Last modified: 21 July 2015

Brush Farm Reformatory (1908 - 1912)