Tudor Lodge

Tudor Lodge, Mount Lawley, was a government-run hostel established in 1952 to provide short-term, supported accommodation for up to 15 boys (14-18 years), who were wards of the State or child migrants, and who had jobs in the city. Government records indicate that girls were placed at Tudor Lodge in 1978. From 1984, Tudor Lodge became a community support hostel for boys and girls aged 6-17 years. From 1987, children on remand were admitted. Tudor Lodge closed in 2003.

Tudor Lodge was established in 1952 by the Child Welfare Department (Signposts 2004, pp.520-524) as an attempt to provide some supported accommodation in a suburban hostel for young males who were wards of the State and, in its early years, child migrants who had grown up in institutions. The boys all had jobs in the city. It kept this function for many years. In 1979, the Department for Community Welfare (DCW) (Signpostsp.520) described Tudor Lodge as a ‘stepping stone to the community for boys who are not ready or not able to return home or be placed in private board’. Government records indicate that girls were placed at Tudor Lodge in 1978.

In 1980, Tudor Lodge became an annexe of the Walcott Centre. In its annual report for 1980, DCW (Signposts p.506) wrote that Tudor Lodge provided ‘hostel accommodation for adolescents who require a supportive intermediate setting prior to discharge to more independent living’. Tudor Lodge offered behavioural programs ‘designed to facilitate these processes’.

In 1984, Tudor Lodge became what the DCW called a ‘community support hostel’, with an emphasis on children and young people who were facing ‘varied and complex’ challenges. Government reports (Signposts p.521) describe Tudor Lodge’s function at that time as ‘providing skilled care’ for children who authorities believed would not settle well into an emergency foster placement. Reports from that period indicate that many of the children admitted to Tudor Lodge may have faced significant and complex challenges in their life and needed ‘behavioural stabilisation and training’ to assist children with social relationships and subsequent placements.

By 1987, up to 8 children and young people aged 6-17 years could be admitted to Tudor Lodge. Children who were on arrest or remand could also be placed there.

In 1994, Tudor Lodge became part of the McCall Centre’s Community Support Hostel Network (Signposts p.522) ‘providing accommodation and support to 11-16 year olds for periods from two weeks to 12 months’.

Tudor Lodge closed in 2003.

Tudor Lodge was named after a Secretary of the Child Welfare Department, Harry Tudor McMinn (Child Welfare Department Annual Report 1952) who had died in office on 4 June 1949 (Government Gazette WA).