St Mary's Mission of Hope Records (1904 - 1990)

Access Conditions

Former residents of the children's Homes of the Anglican Diocese of Adelaide and Church of England, or members of their families, can apply to the Diocesan Archivist to be provided with information and/or copies of records relevant to their time in care. Physical access to the historical records of the children's Homes or the church's Social Welfare Bureau is not permitted due to the fragility of the material and the need to protect the privacy of third parties.

Records

Record keeping practices varied significantly from one Home to another and from one time period to another, with respect to the quantity and types of records that were created and preserved. Many of the following records are fragmentary or incomplete, or were created only for specific time periods during the overall duration of the Homes.

St Mary's Mission of Hope Records include: committee minutes; matrons' reports; visitors' reports; secretary's reports; financial records; correspondence and working papers of the committee; building and architectural records; annual reports; and admission files. The collection also includes a small amount of historical research and study notes.

Records in this collection were listed and indexed as part of the Records Access Documentation Grants in 2017.

The collection includes the following records:

• Admissions and Discharges Registers, 1909-1946 - Contains information such as: child's name; date of birth; admission date and some family information.
• Admission forms, 1970-1990 (with gaps) - These provide admission and discharge information. Contains information such as: child's name; date and place of birth; religion; name and address of person placing child/signature of agency placing child; admission date; discharge date; signature of person child was discharged to; name of agency assisting family; clothes left with child and immunisation information.
  (These records were previously described on the Find & Connect web resource as Admission forms (1970 - 1990) and St Mary's Admissions 1970s.)
• Discharge and Admission Book, 1974-1978 - Contains information such as: admission date; child's name; name of admitting person; Address of next of kin; phone contact; signature of person removing child from home; date of discharge; items of clothing left with child on admission. Later entries also include health information.
  (These records were previously described on the Find & Connect web resource as St Mary's Discharge and Admission (1974 - 1978).)
• Admission files, 1977-1983 - These are arranged alphabetically by surname. They include notes and records relevant to an individual child, or to a sibling group.
• Discharge forms, 1986-1990 - Contains information such as: child's name; date of birth; date of discharge and transfer or discharge information.
• Matron's reports, 1941-1969 - The matron made regular reports on the running of the home, the health of the children, special events, and related matters. Individual children's names were sometimes.
  (These records were previously described on the Find & Connect web resource as Matron's reports (1941 - 1970).)
• Roll Books, 1963-1983 (with gaps) - Contain admission and discharge information related to children in the Home.
• Visitors' reports, 1949-1973 - These are the reports of the committee members' monthly visits to the Homes and commented on matters such as the condition of the Home and need for new materials; state of management of the Home; staffing issues; health of the children; special events taking place; children's interests and achievements. The reports are varied, with different visitors focusing on different things.
  (These records were previously described on the Find & Connect web resource as Visitors' reports (1949 - 1973).)
• Gift book, 1975-1980 - This lists gifts to the Home, of goods or services.
• Photographs, mostly undated - These may show buildings, children and/or staff of the home. They may also show volunteers, visitors or members of the committee.
  (These records were previously described on the Find & Connect web resource as Photographs (1860? - 1982?).)
• Minutes of the management committee, 1936-1975 - The management committee was principally concerned with finance and administration of the home, staffing matters and building maintenance. Names of children were occasionally mentioned in the minutes, for example when they entered or left the Home, or if they had been the subject of a special discussion. However, this was not particularly common or consistently followed.
  (These records were previously described on the Find & Connect web resource as Minutes of the management committee (1936 - 1975).)
• Annual reports, 1941-1981 - These usually mention key staff such as the matron and give an overall picture of life in the Home during the year immediately past. The reports refer to financial matters, building maintenance and the general running of the Homes and may include names of visiting medical specialists. Sometimes the reports include photographs of buildings or children.
• Secretary's Reports, 1942-1944, 1956, 1958 & 1963 - These tend to be focused on matters of finance and management.
• Visitors' register, 1961-1982 - This lists the visitors to St Mary's Home during that time period.
• Correspondence, 1978-1980
• Architectural records, 1962-1968 - The Home was originally housed in a building in the city, which became rundown and eventually unsuitable for purpose. Upon receipt of a significant bequest the committee were able to have a purpose-designed building erected in Daphne St Prospect.