The Industrial and Reformatory Schools Act 1865 – with the full title “An Act to provide for the establishment of Industrial and Reformatory Schools” (Act no. 8/1865, 29 Vic No.8) set up special schools to educate and care for neglected children and young offenders under the age of 15 years. The Act allowed Indigenous children…
The Orphanages Act 1879 (Act no. 16/1879) was an act to govern Queensland orphanages which were charged with the care, teaching and training of children whose circumstances included death of one or both parents, desertion by parents, or neglect. It was assented to on 2 October 1879 and its full title was “An Act to…
BoysTown, run by the De La Salle Brothers, was established in 1961. It was situated in Telemon Road, Beaudesert. BoysTown accommodated boys aged between 12 and 16 in seven cottages. The Beaudesert residential accommodation closed in 2001, and the buildings were demolished in 2017 or 2018. More than 1,000 boys passed through BoysTown during the…
The De La Salle Brothers is a worldwide religious teaching congregation within the Catholic Church. The De La Salle Brothers arrived in Australia in 1906 to establish Catholic schools. By 1932 a De La Salle school was established in Roma, Queensland, and in 1955 they set up a school and community in Scarborough. In 1961…
Albion Lodge was a children’s Home in Bridge Street, Albion. It was operated by the De La Salle Brothers, in conjunction with BoysTown. It housed boys who had graduated from BoysTown. Albion Lodge opened in 1965 and the first boys moved in on 24 August that year. Albion Lodge closed in 1974. Albion Lodge was…
Children and the State Oral History Project is an oral history collection at the National Library of Australia. It comprises 15 interviews, conducted by Morag McArthur and Gail Winkworth between 1988 and 2008. The interviewees worked in senior positions in child welfare in Australia. Access Conditions Access conditions vary. Some of the interviews are available…
Family Spirit was created in 2018 through the merger of the Marist180 and CatholicCare Sydney adoption services. Family Spirit deals with all forms of foster care and adoption and guardianship services. Family Spirit provides access to records relating to adoptions and some former Homes run by the Catholic Church.
Turner Cottage Special School for Truants was proclaimed a special school on 20 May 1938. It was located on the same site as the Mittagong Farm Home for Boys, and for a time, the school was under the administration of the Superintendent of Mittagong. When Anglewood Special School opened, boys from Turner Cottage were transferred…
Rehoboth was a Home for Aboriginal girls run by the Aborigines’ Inland Mission. It was officially opened in March 1924. Elizabeth McKenzie Hatton, a white missionary (later secretary of the Australian Aborigines Progressive Association), was instrumental in the establishment of Rehoboth. According to the Encyclopedia of Women & Leadership, McKenzie Hatton’s intention for Rehoboth was:…
The Sydney Female Refuge Society was established in 1848 with the motto ‘GO, AND SIN NO MORE’. It was established by a group of Protestant philanthropists to assist and restore women working in prostitution, as well as single pregnant women. The Society ran the Sydney Female Refuge, located in Pitt Street, Sydney and later in…
Dec 18, 2024
Nov 15, 2024
