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Victoria - Organisation

St Joseph's Home for Boys (1925 - c. 1967)

  • St Joseph's Home, Surrey Hills, boys in the grounds

    St Joseph's Home, Surrey Hills, boys in the grounds, courtesy of MacKillop Family Services.
    Details

From
1925
To
c. 1967
Categories
Catholic, Children's Home and Home

St Joseph's Home for Boys in Surrey Hills was the new name given in 1925 to the St Joseph's Home for Destitute Children. It accommodated boys aged between 4 and 12. In around 1967, the name changed to St Joseph's Home for Children.

Details

In late 1946, St Joseph's Home for Boys received a small number of boys, transferred from a Tasmanian institution. Boys' Town was situated in Glenorchy, Tasmania. When the Salesians of Don Bosco took over the management of Boys' Town in 1946, some of the younger children from Boys' Town were transferred to the Sisters of St Joseph at Surrey Hills.

According to Jenkinson, by the mid 1950s St Joseph's accommodated Catholic boys aged from 6 to 12 years of age. Approximately half were Wards of the State. In 1956 accommodation was available for 112 boys within large dormitories of 12 to 29 beds.

By the mid 1960s fewer boys lived at the Home given the introduction of the Catholic Family Welfare foster care and adoption programs. Approximately 80 children aged from 5 to 9 years were accommodated with siblings under 5 years also accepted. The percentage of children who were Wards of the State had increased. Children would only be accepted for private placement if they were referred through the Catholic Family Welfare Bureau.

Location

1925 - 1967
Location - St Joseph's Home for Boys was located on the corner of Kent road and Middlesex Road, Surrey Hills. Location: Surrey Hills

Publications

Books

  • Collins, William Michael, The early years 1928-1935: the Company of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament (Grey Sisters), Hawthorn Press, Melbourne, 1953. Details
  • McFadyen, Roy, At a cost, Roy McFadyen, Golden Beach, Qld, 2005. Details
  • Murray, Suellen, John Murphy, Elizabeth Branigan, Jenny Malone, After the orphanage: life beyond the children's home, University of New South Wales Press, Sydney, 2009. Details
  • Szablicki, Ryszard, Orphanage boy: through the eyes of innocence, New Holland Publishers (Australia), Frenchs Forest, NSW, 2007. Details
  • Wheatley-Kenyon, Patrick, In the shadow of a legend: an Aussie's search. Details

Online Resources

Photos

St Joseph's Home, Surrey Hills, gathering in the grounds
Title
St Joseph's Home, Surrey Hills, gathering in the grounds
Type
Image
Source
MacKillop Family Services

Details

St Joseph's Home, Surrey Hills, building
Title
St Joseph's Home, Surrey Hills, building
Type
Image
Source
MacKillop Family Services

Details

St Joseph's Home, Surrey Hills, bathroom
Title
St Joseph's Home, Surrey Hills, bathroom
Type
Image
Source
MacKillop Family Services

Details

St Joseph's Home, Surrey Hills, dormitory
Title
St Joseph's Home, Surrey Hills, dormitory
Type
Image
Source
MacKillop Family Services

Details

St Joseph's Home, Surrey Hills, boys in the grounds
Title
St Joseph's Home, Surrey Hills, boys in the grounds
Type
Image
Source
MacKillop Family Services

Details

Sources used to compile this entry: 'A Piece of the Story': National Directory of Records of Catholic organisations caring for children separated from their families, Australian Catholic Social Welfare Commission & Australian Conference of Leaders of Religious Institutes, November 1999, http://www.findandconnect.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/A-Piece-of-the-Story-Directory-of-Catholic-Records-.pdf. p.94..

Prepared by: Cate O'Neill