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Organisation St Joseph's Girls' Orphanage (1901 - 1971)
St Joseph's Girls' Orphanage, 4 February 2013, courtesy of State Library of Western Australia.
Details
- From
- 1901
- To
- 1971
- Categories
- Care Provider, Catholic, Children's Home and Orphanage
Summary
The St Joseph's Girls' Orphanage was run by the Sisters of Mercy from 21 November 1901 on the site of the old boys' orphanage in Subiaco. The Sisters and children from the Roman Catholic Girls' Orphanage in Victoria Square moved to Subiaco a few months after the boys moved out to Clontarf. Although St Joseph's was called an orphanage, children who were wards and also those who were 'privately placed' also lived there. From 1947, child migrants from Britain and Malta were sent to St Joseph's. In 1971, St Joseph's Girls' Orphanage closed and became the Catherine McAuley Centre.
Records
Some records are held by MercyCare Ltd and some records are held by the government department responsible for child welfare. The Battye Library also has general historical information about St Joseph's.
Access
While access to these records is restricted to protect the privacy of individuals, you are very welcome to enquire.
Contact
MercyCare Heritage & Information Service
PO Box 202, Wembley WA 6913.
Phone: (08) 9442 3444 (please leave a message and we will return your call)
Email: corporate@mercycare.com.au
Web: www.mercycare.com.au/about/history
For information about children placed by the Child Welfare Department or its successors:
Freedom of Information
Department for Child Protection
PO Box 6334
East Perth WA 6892
Phone: (08) 6217 6388 or (08) 6217 6381
Fax: (08) 9222 2776
Free call in WA: 1800 000 277
Email: foi@dcp.wa.gov.au/
Web:Searching for your family history
For people wishing to access the Battye Library's collection of historical material:
State Library of Western Australia
25 Francis Street
Perth Cultural Centre
Perth WA 6000
Phone: (08) 9427 3111
Fax: (08) 9427 3256
Queries: www.slwa.wa.gov.au/find/information_services
Web:www.slwa.wa.gov.au
Details
A letter of appreciation of the The Daily News Orphans' Christmas Cheer Fund in 1915 gives an insight into life at St Joseph's. The letter shows that donations enabled the children to occasionally have extras that were not part of their daily experience:
The Sisters and children of the orphanage are extremely grateful for the donation [of £24]. Each child was provided with a portion of the money to spend as she wished, and nothing could exceed the pleasure thereby given, particularly as this year nothing was expected, owing to the heavy demands on our kind friends. A picnic was provided with the remainder which, as usual, delighted the children. Letter, 12 January 1916 published in The Daily News 2 December 1916, p.10
Events
- 1901 - 1972
- St Joseph's Girls' Orphanage was located on a site that had originally been used for the Benedictine monastery. Location: Subiaco
Related Entries
Timeline
1868 - 1901 St Joseph's Catholic Orphanage for Girls
1901 - 1971 St Joseph's Girls' Orphanage
1971 - 1997 Catherine McAuley Centre
1997 - 2002 Mercy Community Services (Inc)
2002 - Mercycare Ltd
Records managed by
Run By
Publications
Find & Connect - Western Australia Exhibitions
- On their own: Britain's child migrants, Australian National Maritime Museum and National Museums Liverpool 2010, http://www.britainschildmigrants.com. Details
Book Sections
- 'Colonial Secretary's Department', in JS Battye (ed.), The Cyclopedia of Western Australia (1912), vol. 1, Hesperian Press, Victoria Park, 1985, pp. 502-507. Details
Online Resources
- Child migration to Australia - Fact sheet 124, National Archives of Australia, http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/fact-sheets/fs124.aspx. Details
- 'Minutes of Evidence Taken Before the Health Committee on 11 June 1998', in Health - Third Report, House of Commons Health Committee, Parliament of the United Kingdom, 11 June 1998, http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199798/cmselect/cmhealth/755/8061101.htm. Details
- 'Submission No. 172 Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care: Submissions', in Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care - Submissions received by the committee as at 17/3/05, Senate Community Affairs Committee, Commonwealth of Australia, 11 September 2003, http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate_Committees?url=clac_ctte/completed_inquiries/2004-07/inst_care/submissions/sublist.htm. Details
- 'Submission No. 41 Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care: Submissions', in Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care - Submissions received by the committee as at 17/3/05, Senate Community Affairs Committee, Commonwealth of Australia, 23 July 2003, http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate_Committees?url=clac_ctte/completed_inquiries/2004-07/inst_care/submissions/sublist.htm. Details
- 'Submission No. 483 Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care: Submissions', in Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care - Submissions received by the committee as at 17/3/05, Senate Community Affairs Committee, Commonwealth of Australia, 1 November 2004, http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate_Committees?url=clac_ctte/completed_inquiries/2004-07/inst_care/submissions/sublist.htm. Details
- 'Submission No. 365 Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care: Submissions', in Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care - Submissions received by the committee as at 17/3/05, Senate Community Affairs Committee, Commonwealth of Australia, 25 March 2004, http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate_Committees?url=clac_ctte/completed_inquiries/2004-07/inst_care/submissions/sublist.htm. Details
- 'Submission No. 410 Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care: Submissions', in Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care - Submissions received by the committee as at 17/3/05, Senate Community Affairs Committee, Commonwealth of Australia, 26 July 2004, http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate_Committees?url=clac_ctte/completed_inquiries/2004-07/inst_care/submissions/sublist.htm. Details
- Father Hudson's Society, Father Hudson’s Society, 2008, http://www.fatherhudsons.org.uk. Details
- Catholic Child Welfare Council, 'CCWC Minutes of Evidence Document 5', in Minutes of Evidence Taken Before the Health Committee on 11 June 1998, Parliament of the United Kingdom, 11 June 1998, http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199798/cmselect/cmhealth/755/8061108.htm. Details
- Catholic Welfare Australia, 'Submission No. 71 Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care: Submissions', in Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care - Submissions received by the committee as at 17/3/05, Senate Community Affairs Committee, Commonwealth of Australia, July 2003, http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate_Committees?url=clac_ctte/completed_inquiries/2004-07/inst_care/submissions/sublist.htm. Details
- Coldrey, Barry, Good British Stock: Child and Youth Migration to Australia, National Archives of Australia, 1999, http://guides.naa.gov.au/good-british-stock/. Details
- Department for Community Development, State of Western Australia, 'Submission No. 55 Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care: Submissions', in Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care - Submissions received by the committee as at 17/3/05, Senate Community Affairs Committee, Commonwealth of Australia, July 2003, http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate_Committees?url=clac_ctte/completed_inquiries/2004-07/inst_care/submissions/sublist.htm. Details
- Family Care Society, 'Memorandum by the Family Care Society', in Minutes of Evidence Taken Before the Health Committee on 11 June 1998, Parliament of the United Kingdom, 11 June 1998, http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199798/cmselect/cmhealth/755/8061115.htm. Details
- Health Committee, House of Commons, Health - Third Report, Parliament of the United Kingdom, 23 July 1998, http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199798/cmselect/cmhealth/755/75502.htm. Details
- Information Services, Department for Community Development, Signposts: A Guide for Children and Young People in Care in WA from 1920, Government of Western Australia, http://www.signposts.communitydevelopment.wa.gov.au/. Details
- National Directory of Records of Catholic Organisations Caring for Children Separated from Families, A Piece of the Story: A Research Project Undertaken by the Australian Catholic Social Welfare Commission and the Australian Conference of Leaders of Religious Institutes, November 1999, http://catholicsocialservices.org.au/system/files/preface.pdf. Details
- Pushong, Lyn, Heritage Trail: A journey through the history of MercyCare, MercyCare, 2008, http://www.mercycare.com.au/resources/Heritage-Trail-Booklet-A5.pdf. p.8. Details
Gallery
- Title
- Departures from Britain and Malta Slideshow
- Type
- Video
- Date
- 1940s - 1950s
- Source
- Christian Brothers Institution Albums 1 & 2 (Holy Spirit Collection)
- Title
- St Joseph's Girls' Orphanage
- Type
- Image
- Date
- 3 December 1953
- Control
- Call No. 237317PD
- Source
- State Library of Western Australia
- Title
- Table and chairs, St Joseph's Orphanage
- Type
- Image
- Date
- 28 September 1954
- Control
- Call No. 237595PD
- Source
- State Library of Western Australia
- Title
- CCWC Minutes of Evidence Document 3
- Type
- Document
- Date
- 11 June 1998
- Source
- House of Commons Health Committee, Parliament of the United Kingdom
Sources used to compile this entry: Information Services, Department for Community Development, Signposts: A Guide for Children and Young People in Care in WA from 1920, Government of Western Australia, http://www.signposts.communitydevelopment.wa.gov.au/.
Prepared by: Debra Rosser
Created: 15 March 2011, Last modified: 19 February 2013
Last updated: 22 March 2013
Cite this: http://www.findandconnect.gov.au/wa/biogs/WE00191b.htm
First published by the Find and Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Australia License