Glen Dhu Babies’ Home, run by the Children’s Protection Society, opened in about 1907. It accommodated the babies of single mothers. The Home closed in 1911. Glen Dhu had a high infant mortality rate with 19 babies dying there in 1909. At the inquest of one of them, the Medical Superintendent of Launceston General Hospital…
The New Town Charitable Institution, run by the government, opened in 1879. From 1896, the Boys’ Training School and the offices of the Neglected Children’s Department were at the Institution. In 1912, it became the New Town Infirmary. The New Town Charitable Institution was housed in the former buildings of the Queen’s Orphan School after…
The Royal Derwent Hospital was established in 1968 when Millbrook Rise Psychopathic Hospital and Lachlan Park Hospital merged. It was in New Norfolk. In 1968, a new complex opened on the eastern side of the Lachlan River. The Royal Derwent Hospital closed in 2000. In a 1944 report, Dr Catarinich, Victoria’s Director of Mental Hygiene,…
Lachlan Park Hospital, run by the government, replaced the Mental Diseases Hospital in 1937. It was in New Norfolk. Lachlan Park was a secure mental asylum which, in addition to adults, held children and adolescents, including wards of State. In 1968, it became part of the Royal Derwent Hospital. Lachlan Park was on the western…
Garthfield Family Group Home, run by the government, opened in Claremont in about 1983. It provided temporary accommodation to children who were wards of state or supervised in other ways by the Social Welfare Department and its successors. The Home closed in about 1990. A married woman managed Garthfield Family Group Home with the assistance…
Summerhill Family Group Home, run by the government, opened in the 1980s. It was in West Hobart. The Home provided temporary accommodation to children who were wards of state or supervised in other ways by the Department of Community Welfare. Summerhill closed in about 1990. A married woman managed Summerhill Family Group Home with the…
Point Puer, run by the government, opened in 1834. It was at Oppossum Bay on the Tasman Peninsula. Point Puer was a reformatory for boys who had been transported from Britain. It closed in 1849. Point Puer was established by Governor Arthur to accommodate boys aged between 10 and 14. During the convict era, they…
Single mothers (also referred to as unmarried mothers) historically often struggled to support their babies and to deal with the social stigma attached to their situation. These women (and their children who were born ‘out of wedlock’) were the targets of various charitable endeavours in Australia from the earliest days of white settlement. Until perhaps…
The State Psychological Clinic, the first in Australia, was set up under the Mental Deficiency Act 1920 to diagnose and classify children with what is now known as intellectual disability, research it, and instruct teachers. The Clinic’s statutory existence ended in December 1964 following the passage of the Mental Health Act 1963 but since its…
The Guardianship Board, established by the Mental Health Act of 1963, replaced the Mental Deficiency Board in 1963. Its purpose was to assume the guardianship of people with an intellectual disability or mental illness. It also advised the Minister about the care, treatment and occupations of people suffering from an intellectual disability or psychiatric illness….
Dec 18, 2024
Nov 15, 2024
