St Stanislaus House - entrance, December 2009, courtesy of Google Street View.
Details
St Stanislaus House was opened in 1956 in Royal Park. Also known as the Polish Orphanage, it was run by the Resurrection Sisters and accommodated orphans, children from broken homes and children whose mothers were out at work or were ill. Some children were of primary school age and attended local Catholic schools. Staffing shortages led to the closure of the home in 1978.
Opened in 1956 at 30 George Street, Royal Park , St Stanislaus House was named after its patron Saint, Stanislaus Kostka. Its establishment was inspired and sponsored by Polish migrants who had recently immigrated to Australia and settled in Adelaide. With the help of the Polish community, Polish American nuns from the Congregation of the Order of the Sisters of the Resurrection were brought out to Australia to run the home. St Stanislaus House, also known as the Polish Orphanage, provided accommodation for up to fifty children. It housed orphans, children from broken homes and children whose mothers were ill or forced out to work. A pre-school and kindergarten were run within the home while older children attended the local Catholic primary school.
In 1970 childcare policies changed and there was a move towards cottage-style accommodation. Due to lack of staff to care for children under this new system, the home was closed in 1978. The Resurrection Sisters remained in residence running a children's day care centre, named for the founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Resurrection, Mother Celine Borzecka. Mother Celine's Child Care Centre closed in 2011. The buildings were demolished and the land put up for sale in 2012.
Sources used to compile this entry: George, Karen, Finding your own way, Nunkuwarrin Yunti of South Australia Inc., 2005, http://nunku.org.au/resources/.
Prepared by: Karen George and Gary George
Created: 7 February 2011, Last modified: 17 October 2018
Last updated: 7 August 2023
Cite this: https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/ref/sa/biogs/SE00046b.htm
First published by the Find & Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
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