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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 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 New Zealand, but withdrew from providing children’s services around 2005. The New South Wales chapter is based in Burwood. 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 Brothers had the highest overall proportion of members who were alle

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.

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. According to the guide, A piece of the story Churinga provided residential care to boys (aged 7 to 16) with a developmental disability. There was capacity to accommodate 60 residents. Catholic and Protestant boys were accepted. A focus on the boy’s family was a key aspect of the program. Some girls were admitted as residents in the latter years of the service. A small day-centre program was also conducted until 1987 w

The St John of God Training Centre was established by the St John of God Brothers in 1953. It housed around 100 Catholic boys aged 7 to 16 with mild intellectual disabilities, including State wards unable to live with their parents. The St John of God Training Centre occupied the former site of the Methodist Homes for Children in Cheltenham and was approximately 20 acres. Subsidised by the Mental Hygiene Authority, the Brother’s aimed to establish a home, special school and training centre. An article published by the support group Broken Rites makes the point 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. A commemorative plaque on the site in Cheltenham reads: Southland commemorates the service to children given on this site by M

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.

The Western Australian Prisons Department was established in 1982, taking over from the Department of Corrections. It was responsible for the management of prisons and corrective services in Western Australia. In 1987 it was replaced by the Department of Corrective Services.

The Western Australian Department of Corrections was established in 1971, taking over from the Prisons Department. It was responsible for the management of prisons and corrective services in Western Australia, including the Barton’s Mill Prison. In 1982 the Department of Corrections was replaced by a new iteration of the Prisons Department.

The Spastic Centre at Kermode Street, North Adelaide, was established in late 1949 by the Crippled Children’s Association of South Australia (CCA). It provided a day school and training centre for children suffering from Cerebral Palsy. In 1951 the Spastic Centre closed and the children were moved to the new centre, Ashford House. The Spastic Centre at Kermode Street, North Adelaide, was established in late 1949 by the Crippled Children’s Association of South Australia (CCA) and officially opened in March 1950. From 1945 until 1949, prior to the opening of the Centre in North Adelaide, the CCA operated a day school and training centre for children suffering from Cerebral Palsy at the Adelaide Children’s Hospital. The Kermode Street Centre was a temporary location as plans were being made to build a new centre at Finniss Street, North Adelaide that would cater for up to 100 children. The Finnis Street Centre never eventuated, however, and in 1951 the CCA purchased Ashford House on An

Ashford House was established by the Crippled Children’s Association of South Australia (CCA) at Ashford in 1952. It replaced the Spastic Centre at Kermode Street, North Adelaide, and provided day schooling and respite care for children with Cerebral Palsy. Ashford House closed in 1976, at the same time as the Somerton Crippled Children’s Home and the children from both institutions moved to the Regency Park Centre. Ashford House on Anzac Highway, Ashford, opened as a school and home for children with cerebral palsy in 1952. The historic building was purchased at auction for £12,500 by the Crippled Children’s Association of South Australia (CCA), with State Government assistance, on 24 October 1951. Ashford House replaced the Spastic Centre at Kermode Street, North Adelaide that had been operating since late 1949. The Kermode Street centre was a temporary site with a new North Adelaide Spastic Children’s Centre to fit 100 children planned for Finniss Street. However, in 1951 the As

Please contact The Brother Provincial Hospitaller, Order of St. John of God: Phone: (02) 9747 1699 Email: pso@oh.org.au

This series comprises correspondence files of the Colonial Surgeon’s office and its successors, including the Hospitals Department. The correspondence contains little information about patients, however it does include correspondence relating to the lunatic asylums and mental hostpials, and it may include correspondence related to Estcourt House and Mareeba Babies Hospital. The correspondence mostly relates to staffing matters, payment authorisations, and administrative issues. There is little information about hospital or asylum patients in these files, other than reports on exceptional incidents and attempts to recover payments. Unit 1 of this series directly relates to the Colonial Lunatic Asylum and the Adelaide Lunatic Asylum. Access Conditions Access to the records in this series is restricted for 100 years in order to protect personal privacy. Those records over 100 years old are open and can be accessed by any member of the public. People mentioned in these records h

These registers record details about children admitted to the Townsend Pre-School for Hearing and Hearing Impaired Children. Information recorded includes child’s name, gender, admission date, date of birth, religion, parent’s names and occupations, address, and reason for leaving school. It is not clear if this register includes details about children who lived at Townsend House, or if it only includes details of non-residential students. Access Conditions These registers are open access and can be viewed by any member of the public. To arrange access to these records please contact State Records of South Australia.

This admission and discharge book contains details about children and young people admitted to the Central Norther Region Assessment Unit, which was also known as the Gilles Plains Assessment Unit or the Northern Metro Assessment Unit. It contains information such as child’s name, date of birth, endowment/DSS number, age, cultural group, sex, date of admission, where admitted from/previous address, reason for admission, name of their social worker or district centre, discharge date, place discharged to, and coordinators name. Access Conditions Access to these records is restricted for 100 years to protect personal privacy. People mentioned in these records have a right to access information about themselves. To request access to these records please contact the Department for Child Protection Freedom of Information Team.

These two admission books record details about children and young people admitted to the Western Region Admission Unit at Somerton Park, which was initially known as the Central Region Admission Unit. Information recorded in the books includes child’s name, admission number, admission date, their age, date of birth, name of their Community Welfare Worker or District Office, who/where they were admitted by (e.g. courts, police, parents, or another institution), date discharged from the Unit, and who discharged to (e.g. parents, other institutions, or other accommodation). Access Conditions Access to these records is restricted for 100 years to protect personal privacy. People mentioned in these records have a right to access information about themselves. To request access to these records please contact the Department for Child Protection Freedom of Information Team.

The Correspondence files of the Education Department contain letters and memorandum received and sent by the South Australian Education Department, including some that relate to schools at Point Mcleay Mission Station, Point Pearce Aboriginal Station, the Salvation Army Probationary School, Mount Barker (Eden Park), and Townsend House School for Deaf and Blind Children. The correspondence relating to these institutions includes records about the health, attendance, activities, and conduct of children, about school curriculum, activities, and policies, and about the employment and conduct of school staff. Access Conditions Records in this series are Open Access and may be viewed by any member of the public. To access these records please contact State Records of South Australia. Records The below document contains a list of items in this series that may be of relevance to members of the Stolen Generations or Care Leavers. The items in this list are arranged by the

State Records of South Australia holds a large collection of Client Files and Family Files that were kept by the State departments responsible for child and social welfare, as well as indexes that provide reference to these files. These files contain information about children in the child welfare system and their families, and include files about Aboriginal children, families, and individuals. They also include information about the paternity of children born out of wedlock, maintenance payments made for children who had been placed in ‘care’, and information about children and families who had interactions with the government departments responsible for child and social welfare but where children were not placed in out-of-home care. Access Conditions Access to these records is restricted for 100 years in order to protect personal privacy. People mentioned in these records have a right to access information about themselves. To request access to restricted records pleas

This book was created by the Superintendent of Ooldea Mission (Harrie E. Green), and contains details about residents of the mission. It includes information about births, baptisms, marriages, and deaths of Aboriginal people living at the Mission, as well as a list of residents. It also contains the Superintendent’s notes about cultural customs, totems, and traditions of Aboriginal people at Ooldea, and about their performances for a studio film titled ‘Kangaroo’. It likely also contains information about Aboriginal people transferred from Ooldea Mission to Yalata Mission in 1951. Access Conditions This series is open and may be accessed by any member of the public. A searchable index of the names of people that appear in this book has been created by State Records of South Australia. To arrange access to this book and its index please contact the State Records Aboriginal Access Services.

These six volumes of Registers of admissions to the Industrial School deal with admissions to both the Magill Industrial School (1869-1898) and Edwardstown Industrial School (1898-1950). They contain basic biographical information about children admitted to the Homes such as name, age, parents names and address, religion, reasons for admission, date of discharge, and where they have gone to on discharge. Some entries in the registers mention children transferred to or from the Seaforth Convalescent Home, or the St Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Orphanage. Sadly there are missing volumes for the periods 1893-1897 and 1909-1912. According to the State Records of South Australia website these registers were destroyed and used as ‘waste paper in connection the war effort’ in 1944. Access Conditions Access to the records in this series is restricted for 100 years in order to protect personal pr

State Records of South Australia holds a number of records that contain information about child and youth migrants, and the organisations and schemes that brought child and youth migrants to South Australia. The records were kept by the State departments responsible for immigration and tourism, and the State departments responsible for child and social welfare. Some of the records directly relate to child and youth migration, while other relate to migration more broadly, but include information about child and youth migrants. Access Conditions While the majority of records described on this page are open and can be viewed by any member of the public, some are restricted for a period of time to protect personal privacy. Individuals mentioned in restricted records have a right to access information about themselves. To access restricted records please contact the Department for Child Protection Freedom of Information Unit. For access to open records please contact State Record

The Register of New Committals (1931-1968) is a large, very thick volume held together with metal rivets. It contains general admission information relating to Homes under the control of the South Australian Government. These Homes include the Catholic Girls’ Home, Parkside; Convent of the Good Shepherd ‘The Pines’; Bedford Park Boys’ Training Centre; Boys Reformatory, Magill; Edwardstown Industrial School; Glandore Industrial School; Glandore Children’s Home; Glandore Boys’ Home; Seaforth Home; Vaughan House and Barton Vale Girls’ Home. Access Conditions Access to these records is restricted for 100 years in order to protect personal privacy. People mentioned in these records have a right to access information about themselves. To request access to these records please contact the Department for Child Protection, Freedom of Information team. Records Admission Information in the Register of New Committals relating to specific Homes 1. Catholic Girls’ Home Parks

These are records created by the institutions that functioned as the government Reformatories and Training Centres in South Australia, including the Ilfracombe, Boys Reformatory, the Reformatory Hulk FitzJames, Boys and Girls Reformatories at Magill, McNally Training Centre, South Australian Youth Training Centre, the Magill Training Centre, and the Adelaide Youth Training Centre. The records contain information about young people living at the institutions, and include admission, discharge, and transfer records, records of conduct and punishment, records about court appearances, and medical records. Some records (where noted below) also contain information about other institutions that housed children, such as the Brighton Industrial School, and the Catholic reformatory St John the Baptist Home for Boys. Access Conditions Access to these records is restricted for up to 100 years in order to protect personal privacy. Some of these records are still restricted, while

These lists include the names of state wards at the Boys Training School Magill, the Home of the Good Shepherd, and Vaughan House. Access Conditions Access to these records is restricted for 100 years in order to protect personal privacy. People mentioned in these records have a right to access information about themselves. To request access to these records please contact the Department for Child Protection Freedom of Information team.  

These logs record comments made by officers at the Boys Reformatory Magill, McNally Training Centre, South Australian Youth Training Centre, Vaughan House, South Australian Youth Remand and Assessment Centre, and Magill Training Centre. The logs record happenings during staff shifts- for staff accountability, to record any action taken and for handover from one shift to another. They record checks on the children at 5, 15 or 30 minute intervals. Entries include names and many other details of children including admittance and discharges, absconding, movements of children between locations, offences, length of sentences, behaviour and mood of children, visitors, medical appointments and details of medications, incidents and action taken, as well as other matters. Different units within each of the Centres has its own log books. The bulk of the records date from 1974 to 1996, although there are some earlier records in this series. Access Conditions Access to the records in thi

These Log Books contain information recorded by staff about the day-to-day occurrences at a number of children’s institutions run by the South Australian Government between 1961 and 1999. A number of different types of log books make up this series including: movement, programme, routine, observation, detention, Centre Duty Officer [CDO], day book, Matron, medical, visitors, maintenance, incident and separation logs. These log books have been archived under the name South Australian Youth Remand and Assessment Centre, however they also relate to: Vaughan House, including the Elizabeth Grace Hostel; Brookway Park, including the Kulkami Unit; McNally Training Centre; South Australian Youth Training Centre; Lochiel Park Boys’ Training Centre’; Kandarik Cottage; Central Region Assessment/Admission Unit; Clarence Park Assessment Unit; Woodville Assessment Unit; Southern Region Admission Unit; Central Western Admission Unit; Hay Community Unit; and Enfield Community Unit. Access Conditi

These records contain information required for the official handover of children from the Police or Court to the South Australian Youth Remand and Assessment Centre (SAYRAC), and its predecessor Vaughan House. They record name, age, date of birth, police station or court and property belonging to youth, and note if they were to be returned to the Centre or released. Some entries are incomplete. Some records in this series are called ‘Receipt for mandate and/or person named thereon”, and contain similar information and were used for a similar purpose to the Property and personal disposition records. Some records in this series relate to young people who were transferred between the custody of police and the Children’s Court, but not to Vaughan House/SAYRAC. Access Conditions Access to these records is restricted for 100 years in order to protect personal privacy. People mentioned in these records have a right to access information about themselves. To request access to restr

These admission/intake cards make up an alphabetical index of youths admitted to the South Australian Youth Remand and Assessment Centre (SAYRAC), previously known as Vaughan House. Although the card index is archived under ‘SAYRAC’ cards were also kept prior to the name change in 1979. The series also includes admission index cards for Lochiel Park (boys only) from 1979 to 1990. Access Conditions Access to these records is restricted for 100 years in order to protect personal privacy. People mentioned in these records have a right to access information about themselves. To request access to restricted records please contact the Department for Child Protection Freedom of Information team. Records These admission/intake cards are also referred to as Liaison cards. They record details such as: (1) Name; (2) Age; (3) Date of birth; (4) Names and contact details of parents/guardians; (5) Height, weight and distinguishing marks; (6) Reasons admitted; (7) Court of commi