Vailima Hostel, at 18 Havelock Street, Narrogin, was originally established to accommodate Aboriginal girls and young women in a Christian environment while they went to school or work in Narrogin. In 1976 at least one boy was placed there.
It seems that Vailima had an association with the Roelands Native Mission Farm from at least 1971 until 1975 and a local Narrogin pastor was also involved in Vailima's management.
Prior to the Vailima Hostel, the Vailima Convalescent Hospital was located at 18 Havelock Street. Possibly, the hostel took its name from that facility.
House parents lived at Vailima Hostel with the children.
When Vailima Hostel closed on 25 November 1977 there were six children under the supervision of the Department, including four who were wards and two others.
In 2021, the Western Australian government has agreed to be a funder of last resort for this institution. This means that although the institution is now defunct, it is participating in the National Redress Scheme, and the government has agreed to pay the institution's share of costs of providing redress to a person (as long as the government is found to be equally responsible for the abuse a person experienced).
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Last updated:
21 October 2022
Cite this: http://www.findandconnect.gov.au/guide/wa/WE00223
First published by the Find & Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
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