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Organisation Kew Children's Cottages (1887 - 2008)
Idiot Asylum, Kew, c. 1900, courtesy of Courtesy Kew Cottages Historical Society.
Details
- From
- 1887
- To
- 2008
- Categories
- Government-run, Home and Intellectual Disability Institution
- Alternative Names
- Idiot Ward (1887 - 1929)
- Kew Asylum
- Kew Cottages
- Kew Residential Services
Summary
Kew Children's Cottages date back to 1887, It was located adjacent to the Kew Asylum and was also known as the 'idiot ward'. It provided accommodation and education to children with intellectual disabilities. It was closed in 2008.
Details
Kew Children's Cottages became known by that name from around 1929, although the Kew Asylum had housed children throughout its history.
At around 1929 , the Department of Education established the Kew Cottages Special School (State School 4431). It was the first school in Victoria for children with intellectual disabilities. (The school remained in operation until the end of 1991.)
In 1937, over 200 residents of the Cottages were transferred to the institution at Janefield.
In 1957 the administration of Kew Cottages was separated from that of the Kew Mental Hospital.
In 1962 the Cottages were proclaimed a 'training centre' under the provisions of the 1959 Mental Health Act (No.6605).
In 1996, nine residents died in a fire at the institution.
In 2001, the Victorian government announced its intentions to close Kew Cottages. It finally closed in 2008.
Location
- 1887
- Kew Children's Cottages is situated in Princess Street, Kew. Location: Kew
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Publications
Books
- Brown, Janet, Dolly Stainer of Kew Cottages, Currency Press, 2006. Details
- Judge, Cliff; van Brummelen, Fran, Kew Cottages: the world of Dolly Stainer, Spectrum Publications, Richmond, 2002. Details
- Manning, Corinne, Bye-Bye Charlie: stories from the vanishing world of Kew Cottages, University of New South Wales Press, Sydney, 2008. Details
Book Sections
- Reeves, Keir and David Nichols, '"No less than a palace": Kew Asylum, its planned surrounds and its present day residents', in Logan, William and Keir Reeves (eds), Places of pain and shame: dealing with 'difficult heritage', Routledge, 2009. Details
Journal Articles
- Manning, Corinne, 'Imprisoned in State Care: Life Inside Kew Cottages, 1925-2008', Health and History, vol. 11, no. 1, May 2009, pp. 149-171. Details
Newspaper Articles
- Crawford, Anne, 'Dolly's world', The Age, 10 December 2002. Also available at http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/12/09/1039379781046.html. Details
Online Resources
- 'Agency VA 2852 Kew Cottages', in Public Record Office Victoria Online Catalogue, Public Record Office Victoria, http://www.prov.vic.gov.au. Details
- 'Agency VA 2865 Department of Mental Hygiene', in Public Record Office Victoria Online Catalogue, Public Record Office Victoria, http://www.prov.vic.gov.au. Details
- Kew Cottages: a history, La Trobe University, 2010, http://www.kewcottageshistory.com.au/. Details
- Judge, Astrid, 'Reflections, memories and sources: growing up at Kew Cottages', Health and History, 2007, http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/hah/9.1/judge.html. Details
- Larkin, John, Hands reach out to children of sadness, The Age, 1973, http://www.150.theage.com.au/view_bestofarticle.asp?straction=update&inttype=1&intid=1164. Details
- Monk, Lee-Ann, '"Made enquiries, can elicit no history of injury": researching the history of institutional abuse in the archives', Provenance, No 6, September 2007, http://prov.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/ProvenanceIssue6.pdf. Details
Gallery
Sources used to compile this entry: 'Agency VA 2852 Kew Cottages', in Public Record Office Victoria Online Catalogue, Public Record Office Victoria, http://www.prov.vic.gov.au; 'Agency VA 2865 Department of Mental Hygiene', in Public Record Office Victoria Online Catalogue, Public Record Office Victoria, http://www.prov.vic.gov.au.
Prepared by: Cate O'Neill
Created: 5 January 2010, Last modified: 8 May 2013
Last updated: 8 May 2013
Cite this: http://www.findandconnect.gov.au/vic/biogs/E000547b.htm
First published by the Find & Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
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