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The Reformatory Schools Act 1866 (30 Victoria, Act No. 4, 1866) came into operation on 16th January 1869. Under the Act, any child under the age of sixteen who had been convicted of a criminal offence and sentenced to fourteen or more days imprisonment could be sent to a reformatory for one to five years. There were to be separate reformatories for boys and girls, and parents were asked to pay maintenance for children, if possible, while they served time. The Act was repealed by the Reformatory and Industrial Schools Act 1901. Reformatories were initially under the control of the Colonial Secretary until 1874, when the Prisons Act of 1874 placed them under the control of the Comptroller General of Prisons under the Department of Prisons. In the 1880s control of reformatory schools was transferred to the Department of Public Instruction.

The Act to make better provision for the control of prisons and for the custody of prisoners, 1874 (37 Vic. Act No.14) was better known as the Prisons Act of 1874. It Established the office of the Comptroller General of Prisons, who was responsible for the “care, direction, and control” of all prisons and prisoners in the Colony of New South Wales. The Act specifies that the term prisons includes all public gaols, prisons, houses of correction, and reformatories for juvenile offenders. Prior to the introduction of this act, reformatories had been under the control of the Colonial Secretary, and the control of other prisons, gaol, houses of correction and prisoners was placed with the Sheriff. The Sheriff maintained certain responsibilities and powers under the 1874 act, such as those relating to prisoners who had been sentenced to death.

The Churinga Special Residential School, located in Greensborough, was established by the St John of God Brothers in 1967. It housed 60 Catholic and Protestant boys (aged 7 to 16) and, in later years, some girls. It was an institution for children deemed to have an intellectual or developmental disability. From 1987, Churinga was registered as a Special School and ran a day-program. Churinga closed in 1990. Churinga was purpose designed and built to provide a range of residential care, training and treatment programs for boys with intellectual disabilities. The Brothers needed to open a new facility after the Cheltenham site of the St John of God Training Centre was sold to retail organisation Myer in 1966. According to the guide, A piece of the story Churinga provided residential care to boys (aged 7 to 16) with a developmental disability. An article published by the support group Broken Rites makes the point that

The Order of the Hospitaller Brothers of St John of God came to Australia from Ireland in 1947. Its first work was a residential school in New South Wales for boys with learning difficulties called Kendall Grange at Morriset Park, in the Hunter region (1948-2000). The Order also ran children’s homes and family services in Victoria and Queensland, as well as in New Zealand, but withdrew from providing children’s services around 2005. The Oceania Province of the chapter is chapter is based in Burwood, New South Wales. Members of the Order of the Hospitaller Brothers of St John of God have been implicated in a number of legal cases involving assaults on children in their institutions across Australia and New Zealand. In 2017, a report from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse stated that, “for religious institutes with non-ordained religious members, taking into account duration of ministry … the St John of God Brothe

This is a copy of a photograph of Brother Matthew O’Donnell standing in front of Churinga in around 1968. The caption in the State Library Victoria catalogue is “Summary: Whole-length, to right, wearing white lab coat standing in front of Churinga with papers in his hands”.

Newcastle Reformatory School for Females was established on 19 January 1869 under the control of the Colonial Secretary of NSW. The Reformatory School was located in the North Wing and grounds attached to the Newcastle Public Industrial School for Girls with the same matron serving both schools. The Reformatory was established to house girls who had committed criminal offences. The Reformatory School was closed on 20 July 1871 and relocated to Cockatoo Island becoming Biloela Reformatory School for Females. On 19 January 1869, following the introduction of the Reformatory Schools Act, a reformatory was established on the same site as the Newcastle Industrial School for Girls, in the Officer’s Barracks. This created twin institutions. The Reformatory School was overseen by the same Matron as the Industrial School, Mrs Agnes King, but a new superintendent, Mr J. H. Clarke was employed. There were many issues associated with both the Industrial School and the Reformatory S

The Hospitaller Order of St John of God’s Oceania Province in Burwood, NSW, holds records from institutions for children run by the Brothers. The collection includes: Kendall Grange, Client Files These Client Files (1949-present) contain general information about the children who have been enrolled at St John of God Kendall Grange. Information about the child includes: name; date of birth; admission and discharge dates; reason for admission; medical history; information about the child’s family and information about any previous placements. The files are arranged in alphabetical order by child’s surname. Quantity: Over 1400 files Granada Hostel records According to the Missing Pieces directory (2001), the following records from Granada Hostel exist: Admission Register (containing names, dates of admission and discharge) 1979 to 1985 and Personal files (which contain only basic information) exist for most of the clients. Acc

According to the Missing Pieces directory (2001), the following records from Granada Hostel exist: Admission Register (containing names, dates of admission and discharge) 1979 to 1985 and Personal files (which contain only basic information) exist for most of the clients. Access Conditions Former clients or other authorised relevant persons seeking information about the records should apply to the Brother Provincial Hospitaller in writing.

Granada Hostel, 49 Stewart Road, Ashgrove was operated by the Hospitaller Order of St John of God. It opened 18 August 1979 and was licensed under the Children’s Services Act 1965. It closed 1 December 1985.

Biloela Reformatory School for Females was established in 1871 and was located in a small cottage on Cockatoo Island within the grounds of Biloela Industrial School. Girls were transferred to Biloela Reformatory School from Newcastle Reformatory School for Girls when it closed. Biloela Reformatory School for Females shut on 5 February 1800 and girls were transferred to Shaftesbury Reformatory School. The Reformatory School was established under the Reformatory Schools Act of 1866, under the control of the Colonial Secretary. Following the passing of the Prisons Act of 1874 oversight of the reformatory was transferred to the Comptroller of Prisons, under the Department of Prisons. The Reformatory School operated within the site of the Biloela Industrial School for Girls for the small number of girls charged with criminal offences. In practice the girls were not kept separately and there were many issues with the schools including regular rioting and lewd behaviour. The Reformat

This is a copy of a photograph of the exterior of the St John of God Training Centre, Cheltenham, that was published with an article in the Advocate in July 1953.

The St John of God Training Centre was established by the St John of God Brothers in 1953. It housed around 100 boys aged 7 to 16 with mild intellectual disabilities, including State wards. It was the Brothers’ first institution in the state of Victoria. An article published by the support group Broken Rites makes the point that The SJOG Brothers said, blatantly … that their institutions were for “sub-normal” or “retarded” boys. But these words were disparaging. Many SJOG inmates, especially wards of state, had behavioural or learning difficulties and were not necessarily born with an intellectual disability, although they certainly became educationally disadvantaged through their incarceration at St John of God (Broken Rites, “This is how a Catholic religious organisation, the St John of God Brothers, ‘looked after’ disadvantaged boys”). The St John of God Training Centre occupied the former site of the

This Series contains the majority of correspondence received by the New South Wales Colonial Secretary’s Office (also known as the Chief Secretary’s Office) between 1826 and 1982. It includes letters that name children admitted to Industrial Schools, Reformatory Schools, Orphan Schools, Infant’s and Children’s Homes, as well as letters that refer to general operational matters at the institutions. Museums of History have published an online index for this series where the names of people or institutions can be searched: Colonial Secretary Letters Received 1826-1894 Index. Access Conditions This series is open access and may be viewed by any member of the public. To identify items of interest in this series use the online index. To access these records please contact Museums of History.

The Order of St John of God came to Australia from Ireland in 1947. Its first work was in New South Wales for boys with learning difficulties. In 1953, the Brothers purchased the site that formerly housed the Methodist Homes for Children at Cheltenham and established the St John of God Training Centre. The St John of God Brothers ran a number of institutions in Victoria, including Churinga in Greensborough, the Marian Lodge Training Centre, Raelene Hostel in Mentone (for men in their 20s), and Yarra View in Lilydale.

Marian Lodge Training Centre was established by the St John of God Brothers. It was adjacent to St John Of God Training Centre in Cheltenham. Marian Lodge catered for boys described as having moderate intellectual disabilities and being unable to follow a special schooling program, but able to benefit from other training.

The Yarra View Training Farm, located in Lilydale, was established by the St John of God Brothers in 1957. It was usually staffed by about seven Brothers and accommodated up to 90 youths, aged over 16. The institutions for children run by the St John of God Brothers in Victoria were all described as being for children with intellectual disabilities. The Yarra View training farm, located in Lilydale, was established by the St John of God Brothers in 1957. According to an article published by Broken Rites, the institution at Lilydale was usually staffed by about seven Brothers and accommodated up to 90 youths, aged over 16. Broken Rites also state that: Many SJOG inmates, especially wards of state, had behavioural or learning difficulties and were not necessarily born with an intellectual disability, although they certainly became educationally disadvantaged through their incarceration at St John of God.

Kendall Grange, at The Bluff in Morisset Park in the Hunter Region, was established by the Brothers of St John of God in 1948 as a residential school for boys deemed to have an intellectual disability or behavioural issues. It began with 30 boys from Westmead Home, aged six to 16. In 1980 Kendall Grange changed to a residential school for boys with behavioural disorders, and in 1994 it became a residential school for primary school aged boys and girls with behavioural disorders, which operated until 2000. According to Bryce Gaudry, the then-Member for Newcastle, Kendall Grange had a client group per year of 30 children “with severe emotional and behavioural difficulties. Parents were expected to participate in a behaviour management education program, and they and the children were provided with counselling services where necessary” (Legislative Assembly, 2004). In 1999, the NSW Department of Community Services approached St John of G

The Colonial Secretary was an essential position in the New South Wales Government. During the Colonial era (1821 to 1856) the Colonial Secretary supported the NSW Governor and was responsible for advising and receiving instructions from the British Government. After NSW achieved self-governence in 1856 the Colonial Secretary, was responsible for a range of essential functions, including charities, prisons, police, the Aborigines Protection Board, neglected children, the insane, hospitals and industrial schools. The Colonial Secretary became the Chief Secretary in 1959. When New South Wales formed its own government in 1856 (‘responsible government’), the Colonial Secretary became a political position and was most often taken by the Premier. By 1859 the role was often called Chief Secretary or Principal Secretary to the Government. The Colonial Secretary and his Department has always been at the centre of decisions made by the New South Wales Government. Many government departmen

These records were created by the Industrial and Training Schools for Girls in New South Wales, namely Newcastle Industrial School (1867-1871), Biloela Industrial School (1871-1887), Parramatta Girls Industrial School (1887-1912), Parramatta Girls Training Home (1912-1946), Parramatta Girls Training School (1946-1974), and Kamballa (1974-1983). The records contain information about girls admitted to these homes, and cover various aspects of life at the institutions. Some records also contain information about girls sent to other homes/institutions, such Hay Institution for Girls and Myee, or about boys at Taldree, which was co-located with Kamballa. They include admission and discharge registers, medical and dental records, correspondence files, staff daily diaries/log books, records of absconders, isolation (punishment) books, resident payment books, visitor books, etc. Many of the records span longer time frames and relate to more than one institution. Access Conditions In

The Spastic Children’s Society of Victoria was established in 1948 to provide to children with Cerebral Palsy and their families. In 1949 the society established the Marathon Centre in Toorak, which was a school for children with Cerebral Palsy. In 1956 the society opened the Lady Herring Spastic Children’s Hostel at Armadale, which provided residential care to children with Cerebral Palsy. The Marathon Centre closed in 1979, and the Dame Mary Herring Hostel closed in 1992. In 1980 the society changed its name to the Spastic Society of Victoria, and changed it again in 2001 to Scope Disability Services. In 2026 Scope continues to operate across Victoria, and has expanded its services into New South Wales.

Dame Mary Herring Spastic Children’s Hostel in Armadale was a centre that provided residential care to children with cerebral palsy. Run by the Spastic Children’s Society of Victoria, it opened in 1956 and was approved as a children’s home in 1964. Residential accommodation was provided in congregate care form at the Hostel itself, as well as in a number of cottages owned by the organisation. A number of state wards were placed in the hostel. The hostel was initially called Lady Herring Spastic Children’s Hostel, the name changing to Dame Mary Herring Spastic Children’s Hostel in 1969. The hostel was deregistered as a nursing home in 1991 and the Huntingtower Road premises was sold the following year. Residents of the hostel were moved to smaller community-based group homes. Lady Herring Spastic Children’s Hostel at 2 Huntingtower Road, Armadale was opened in 1956. The hostel provided accommodation for children with cerebral palsy who were up to 18 years old, however some residents

The Lady Victoria Buxton Girls’ Club was established in Adelaide in 1898. It was run by a management committee that was chaired by the Bishop of Adelaide. It began as a meeting place for girls working in West Adelaide factories and developed into a hostel. In the 1920s it had room for more than 30 girls. The Lady Victoria Buxton Girls’ Club operated until 1955. The Lady Victoria Buxton Girls’ Club was established by its patron, Lady Victoria Buxton in 1898 in Bowen Street, Adelaide. Lady Victoria Buxton was the wife of the then Governor of South Australia, Sir Henry Fowell Buxton. In 1903 the Club moved to larger premises in Whitmore Square, Adelaide. The Lady Victoria Buxton Girls’ Club was founded ‘to provide rooms where factory girls and others living in West Adelaide might meet for amusement and instruction’. It developed into a hostel for 25 girls. This number increased to 34 by 1923. Through donations, fund raising events and sales of the Kookaburra Cookery Book the Club wa

The Sydney Home for Babies was located at Waverley, in a large two-storey house on what was then called Nelson Bay Road and is now Bronte Road. Opened in February 1910 by Mrs Greig-Smith, founder of Sydney Norland Nurseries, it was ‘founded for the care of infants who are poor and whose mothers have to support their infants …’. Its slogan was ‘To Save The Babies and to Help the Mothers’ but within a year chronic gastritis had caused the deaths of a number of babies. The State Children’s Relief Board prosecuted the Home for keeping infants without a licence and it was closed in late 1911. The Sydney Home for Babies was founded by Mrs Greig-Smith, wife of a prominent Sydney dietician and was led by a board of women, a number of whom were married to doctors who were visiting physicians at the establishment. Dr Grace Boelke also sat on the board. Dr Boelke had been involved in the setting up of the Sydney Norland Institute, as was staff member Dr Harold Binney. At this time, single

This is an image of buildings at Kendall Grange, photographed through a wire fence. It was published in a 2023 article in the Daily Telegraph.

The Church of England Boys’ Home at Walkerville was the new name given to the Children’s Home at Walkerville in 1904 after the Home took in boys only. Numbers ranged from 14 up to 30. In 1926 the Home moved to a new building in the same street. The Home was run by an independent management committee that reported to the Diocese of Adelaide. In 1955 it was renamed Kennion House. The Church of England Boys’ Home at Walkerville was the new name given to the Children’s Home at Walkerville in 1904 after the Home took in boys only. During its existence the number of boys in the Home ranged from 14 up to 30. While living in the Home the boys attended St Andrew’s Day School and services in St Andrew’s church. Most boys remained until the age of 14 when they left to take up employment. The boys initially lived in crowded conditions in what was described as a dark, depressing and run down building. The poor conditions led to the Home moving to a new building next to the St Andrews churc

The Western Australian Gaols Department was established in 1890. It was the first government department in Western Australia that was established specifically for the management of gaols and prisons. It ran the Barton’s Mill Prison, which was investigated by the 1943 Royal Commission to Inquire into the Care and Reform of Youthful Delinquents. The Gaols Department was replaced by the Prisons Department in 1947.

The Western Australian Prisons Department was established in 1947, taking over management of prisons and corrective services in Western Australia from the Gaols Department. It ran Barton’s Mill Prison, which is known to have held incarcerated young people alongside adult prisoners. In 1971 the Prisons Department was renamed the Department of Corrections.

The Western Australian Department of Corrective Services was established in 1987, when the name of the Prisons Department was changed. It had responsibility for the management of prisons and corrective services throughout Western Australia. In 1993 the Department of Corrective Services was amalgamated with the Crown Law Departments and the Youth Justice Bureau to become the Ministry of Justice.