Woodlands Home opened in 1886 in South Preston as a domestic training school for selected girls from the Government Reformatory for Protestant Girls at Pentridge in Coburg. Woodlands, described as a “cottage”, had capacity for eight or nine girls. The objective of Woodlands was for the “better conducted girls” of the Reformatory to spend a…
Kingsbury Farm Reformatory was a training farm for Protestant boys that opened in Newstead in April 1893. It was operated on the ‘family system’, run by a married couple, and had capacity for six boys. Boys were sent to Kingsbury from other reformatories in order to learn practical farm skills, such as land clearing, dam-making,…
The Ivanhoe Girls’ Hostel, run by the Victorian government, was established around 1965. It provided accommodation for female wards of state from Winlaton According to the Social Welfare Department’s annual report for 1973, at Ivanhoe Girls’ Hostel: Girls are encouraged to become increasingly self-reliant in all aspects of living, and are assisted to find private…
The Victorian Government commissioned the John Murray Training Ship for formative training purposes for juvenile offenders from 1910 until 1918. It aimed to train seamen for the navy and merchant navy. It ceased operations in controversial circumstances in 1918. The barque Loch Ryan was purchased in 1909, converted for training purposes at Williamstown and renamed…
The Ballarat Probationary School for Boys opened in August 1890 at Alfredton (Ballarat) to house boys who had not succeeded in boarding out placements. It was located in its own buildings within the grounds of the Ballarat Boys’ Reformatory. In the 1886 annual report from the Ballarat Reformatory, it was stated that a scheme had…
The Success was a hulk [ship] anchored in Hobsons Bay. From 1869 it accommodated children over the age of seven who had been convicted under the Neglected and Criminal Children’s Act of 1864. Later, the Success was used as the sleeping quarters for those boys described as ‘difficult’ who were living in the reformatory ship,…
The Sir Harry Smith, was a hulk (ship) anchored off Fishermans Bend, near Hobson’s Bay. From 1865, it housed mostly older boys sentenced under the Neglected and Criminal Children’s Act of 1864. The Sir Harry Smith was anchored off Fishermans Bend in the River Yarra before it flowed into Hobson’s Bay. It was one of…
The Sunshine Boys’ Hostel was established by the Victorian government in 1959, partly to ease overcrowding at Turana. The Hostel accommodated up to 15 young men, who needed ‘more than the usual help and supervision’ offered by other hostels. Sunshine Boys’ Hostel offered accommodation for boys who were ‘not normally acceptable in the hostels conducted…
Turana was a government-run reception centre established in 1955 in Royal Park, Parkville. It was formerly known as the Royal Park Depot. Turana was the sole reception centre for children committed to State ‘care’ until 1961 when Allambie became the main government reception centre. From 1961, the site housed the Turana Remand Centre and the…
The Sanatory Station at Point Nepean was established in around 1867. It housed children from industrial schools and reformatory requiring to be quarantined. The Department of Industrial and Reformatory Schools had abandoned the use of the Station at Point Nepean by around 1868. The Sanatory Station at Point Nepean housed children from industrial schools and…
Dec 18, 2024
Nov 15, 2024
