Carlingford Children’s Home

The Carlingford Children’s Home was officially opened in October 1914, with children in residence from 1915. The building ‘Minden’ at Carlingford was purchased to enable the Church of England to expand its operations as a home for approximately 30 children in the country. An article published in The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrower’s Advocate about the official opening of Minden stated it was intended to be a Home for “delicate” children who would benefit from the country air and a location away from the city. It was also intended to be a site where “overworked” staff from the Church of England Homes at Glebe could go to rest and recuperate (‘A Good Work, Opening of a New Children’s Home “Minden Hall” Carlingford’, 28 October 1914).

The Carlingford Children’s Home was funded in part by church community fundraising efforts, such as bazaar’s and fetes. Many of these sales featured lace-work made by girls at the Church of England Homes at Glebe. At Christmas time children from the Home were entertained at Christmas tree afternoons, where they were served refreshments and icecream, and received presents from ‘Father Christmas’. In 1916 The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrower’s Advocate reported up to 40 children attended the Christmas event, and gave a choral performance to the other attendees (‘For the Orphans’, 30 December 1916). Many of the Christmas afternoons, and the fetes and bazaars, were hosted by St John’s Parish Hall at Parramatta.

In December 1917, The Daily Telegraph reported that children at Minden were taught light gardening, growing fruit and vegetables such as peas and strawberries on the grounds of the Home (‘Women Who Are Doing Things’, 12 December 1917).

A decision was made in 1919 to transfer girls from the Carlingford Children’s Home to the newly opened Arden Girls’ Home at Glebe, allowing for the home in Carlingford to become a home specifically for boys. Plans to expand the Carlingford site by building a new Home there also commenced at this time.

In 1920 the Carlingford Children’s Home officially closed, and boys from the Church of England Boys’ Home at Cronulla moved in to Minden.