Marillac House

Marillac House in Brighton East was run by the Daughters of Charity from 1943. It included a school, and accommodated mostly girls aged 10 to 16, and some boys in its early years, with intellectual disabilities, or learning and social problems. In 2009, Marillac House continues to provide programs and services to people with a disability.

Marillac House was situated in a mansion known as Landcox House, at 3 Mavis Avenue, Brighton East.

In 1957 Marillac House was designated as a ‘special school’ by the Victorian government. At that time it had up to 80 girls, aged between 5 and 18. It was Victoria’s only privately-operated residential accommodation for girls with an intellectual disability at that time.

According to the ‘Finding Records’ website, by the late 1960s, Marillac House accommodated 16 wards of state who lived in two adjacent family group homes, and 56 other girls who were either weekly boarders, privately placed or housed in dormitories.

In the late 1960s, Marillac House ran 2 hostels in conjunction with the Youth Welfare Division. They were called Maryville (located at 2 Waiora Avenue East Brighton, Maryville Hostel was for girls with employment) and Mandurah (which was a ‘sheltered workshop’ for older girls).

The original Marillac property was auctioned in 1987, and became a Tibetan Buddhist teaching and meditation centre. Marillac continued to provide residential accommodation and outreach services.

In 2017, Marillac Ltd was transferred to St John of God Health Care.