Cooinda, in Mount Lawley, was established in 1966 by Methodist Homes for Children at the request of the Department of Native Welfare as hostel to accommodate Aboriginal teenage girls working in Perth. The Heritage Council documentation states “Although managed by the Methodist Church, the Department of Native Welfare remained responsible for the placement and location of employment for residents at Cooinda.” Up to fourteen girls could be accommodated at the hostel.
By December 1974, Cooinda is described in The ‘Homes’ Herald as caring for ten teenage girls who are either working or studying, and are usually state wards. From 1977 it was run by the agencies of the Uniting Church, later known as Mofflyn, and in 1987 it was transferred to the Department for Community Services.
Cooinda remained a departmental facility for Aboriginal student accommodation until it closed in December 2020. It is reported in the Heritage Council documentation that prior to its closure Cooinda “provided boarding facilities for Aboriginal boys, predominantly from the Kimberley region, receiving scholarships to attend Perth schools”.
In government records, Cooinda is named and spelled various ways including Cooindra, Coowinda and Coowindra. It was an Aboriginal education and employment hostel. Cooinda House in Mount Lawley has been included in the State Register of Heritage Places.
From
1966
To
December 2020
Alternative Names
Cooinda Education and Employment Hostel
Cooinda House
Cooinda Hostel
1966 -
Cooinda House was located at 24 Queens Crescent, Mount Lawley, Western Australia (Building Still standing)