Meercroft Hospital opened as a convalescent home in Devonport in 1925. It was run by the Devonport Municipality until 1947, and then by the government. The work of the Hospital included maternity services from which adoptions are likely to have taken place. In 1958, Meercroft Hospital merged with the Mersey General Hospital. In 1920, Mr…
Devon Public Hospital opened in 1888 in Latrobe as the Devon Cottage Hospital. Initially, it was a private hospital but, on 24 July 1925, the government took it over. Although babies tended to be born at home, the Hospital’s work included maternity services from which adoptions are likely to have taken place. On 10 January…
The Queen Victoria Maternity Hospital, initially run by its own Association and later by the government, opened in 1897. It provided maternity services to women in northern Tasmania. Adoptions took place from the Hospital. It closed in 1993. The Queen Victoria Maternity Hospital was an initiative of women’s groups, supported by Lady Gormanston, the wife…
The Hobart General Hospital replaced the Colonial Hospital in 1860. It remained on the Liverpool Street site. Until 1878, when a Board of Management took over, the Hospital was run by a committee chaired by the Colonial Secretary. In 1919, the newly formed Hobart Public Hospitals District took over from the Board. In 1901, a…
The Colonial Hospital, run by the Convict Department, opened in Liverpool Street, Hobart in 1820. It provided the headquarters of the medical establishment and hospital services to convicts. In 1860, responsibility for the Hospital was transferred to the newly established colonial government. The Colonial Hospital became the Hobart General Hospital. Lachlan Macquarie, the Governor of…
The Royal Hobart Hospital replaced the Hobart General Hospital in 1938, remaining on the same site in Liverpool Street. It was a public hospital run by its own Board and then by the Health Department and its successors. Adoptions took place from the maternity unit at the Royal Hobart and, later, its Obstetric Division at…
The Queen Alexandra Maternity Hospital (the Queen Alex) opened in Hampden Road, Battery Point in 1908. Initially, a private board ran it but in 1950 the government took over. In 1980, it moved to a new building in Argyle Street, adjacent to the Royal Hobart Hospital. Over its lifetime, many adoptions took place from the…
The Launceston City Mission, Launceston Town City Mission until 1889, was founded in 1854. Its brief was to spread the gospel to non-church goers in inner city working class communities. In 2014, the Launceston City Mission is still active. Like the London City Mission, the Launceston City Missioners were Protestant but non-denominational. City Missioners saw…
Reeve House, run by the government, opened in about 1992 in Hadspen, near Launceston. As a family group Home, it provided temporary accommodation for children who were wards of state or supervised in other ways by the Department of Community Services and its successors. Reeve House was still open in 2011. A married woman managed…
Eastville Receiving Home opened in Rokeby in 1979. The Home provided temporary accommodation for children who were wards of state or supervised in other ways by the Social Welfare Department. It became Eastville Family Group Home in 1981. A married woman, known as a Receiving Home Keeper, managed Eastville with the assistance of her husband,…