Archives



Swinborn Lodge

Swinborn Lodge, South Yarra, was established by the Melbourne City Mission in 1957. It was formerly the Elizabeth Fry Retreat. It accommodated girls aged from 14 to 18. In 1974 the Lodge moved to Carlton, and in 1979 it became a hostel known as Swinborn. Swinborn Lodge was formerly the Elizabeth Fry Retreat (1884-1957) in…

St Paul’s Home For Boys

The St Paul’s Home for Boys was established in 1955 by the Mission of St James and St John. It was located at Newhaven, Phillip Island, on the site of the former St Paul’s Training School. In 1979, it ceased to be a Home and became the site of the St Paul’s Discovery Centre, a…

Australian Church Social Improvement Society

The Australian Church Social Improvement Society was established in 1886 to ‘carry out social and charitable work in Richmond and Collingwood’. It became involved in placing ‘neglected children’ on farms and other accommodation in the country. Registered under the Neglected Children’s Act 1887 as Child Rescuers, it received children from the police court as well…

Lentara UnitingCare

Lentara UnitingCare was formed as a result of UnitingCare Sunshine and Broadmeadows (UCSB) and Orana UnitingCare (OUC) agreeing to form a new organisation. Agreement was reached on 29 June 2012 to be effective from October 2012. In 2017, Lentara UnitingCare became part of the new organisation, Uniting (Victoria and Tasmania) Limited.

The Success

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,…

CatholicCare Victoria

CatholicCare was formerly known as Centacare Catholic Family Services. The name change was in line with other organisations within Catholic Social Services Australia, the peak body for Catholic community service providers in Australia. The new name was adopted to emphasise the continuing links between these services and the mission work of the Catholic Church. In…

The Sir Harry Smith

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…

Wimmera UnitingCare

Wimmera UnitingCare was created through a name change of its predecessor organisation, Wimmera Community Care. It provides Adolescent Community Placement, Residential Care for young people aged 11 to 17, and foster care for children and young people up to 15 years of age. In 2017, Wimmera UnitingCare merged with other agencies to form the new…

Orana UnitingCare

Orana UnitingCare was the new name given in 2011 to the former Orana Family Services. The name change reflected a change in services and that the organisation had stopped providing residential care. On 29 June 2012 UnitingCare Sunshine and Broadmeadows and Orana UnitingCare came together to form a new organisation Lentara UnitingCare.

Wimmera Family Group Homes

Wimmera Family Group Homes was established in 1979, opening its first group home in Horsham in 1980. In 1981, it amalgamated with Wimmera Emergency Housing and changed its name to Wimmera Community Care.