St Mary’s Home, Toowong, was established in 1919. It was a Home for unmarried mothers and their babies operated by the Committee of St Mary’s Church of England Home. St Mary’s Home, Taringa amalgamated with the Brisbane Female Refuge and relocated to Bent Street, Toowong in 1919. It operated under the name St Mary’s Home, Toowong. The Home closed in 1991.
St Mary’s Home, Toowong was licensed under The lnfant Life Protection Act until 1959. It was licensed again on 11 February 1975. Funding ceased in 1981/82 but the home continued to operate.
According to an article published in The Courier-Mail in 1944, St Mary’s Home, Toowong, women typically stayed at St Mary’s Home for approximately four months after giving birth. The majority of the women who stayed at St Mary’s were between the ages of 17 and 19. Most of the babies born to women at the home were put up for adoption.
Beatrice Wood was in charge of St Mary’s Home, Taringa, in 1907. Miss E. Taylor was matron of St Mary’s Home Toowong from 1924 to 1944. Ivy McGregor was matron of St Mary’s Home Toowong in 1951 and 1952.
Reverend Canon Campbell was Chaplain to the St Mary’s Home and Refuge, Toowong, in 1929.
St Mary’s Home, Toowong, was mentioned in the Commonwealth Contribution to Former Forced Adoption Policies and Practices Report (2012) as an institution that was involved in forced adoption.
From
1919
To
1991
Alternative Names
St Mary's Church of England Nursing Home
St Mary's Home and Refuge
St Mary's Church of England Home, Toowong
1919 - 1991
St Mary's Home, Toowong was situated at Bent Street, Toowong, Queensland (Building Demolished)
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