Latest Updates

The former prison hulk HM Success was the site of a reformatory for boys.

A new survey by Rights in Records by Design project seeks to get the views of those working with records of out-of-home Care by November 16th.Read More…

Archives are opening up again. If you plan on visiting, here are some things you should know.

Historical care and protection orders are no longer treated as criminal convictions in Victoria Read More…

The past few years have seen massive public attention relating to children in immigration detention whether on the Australian mainland or offshore in places like Nauru. While it would be folly to argue the plight of Forgotten Australians, ‘Care’ Leavers and Former Child Migrants is identical to that of children who are in or have experienced immigration detention there are some disturbing similarities. Read More…

We launched the Find & Connect web resource in November 2011. There is a back-story to the development of this website, and telling it is a good way to reflect on where we’ve come from, how much we’ve learned along the way and where we’re going.Read More…

Narrabundah House Indigenous Supported Accommodation (NHISA) is run in partnership with government and non government agencies. It provided supported accommodation for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men aged 12 to 18 years, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s Youth justice in Australia 2023–24 report states: The Narrabundah House Indigenous Supported Residential Facility provides crisis, short- to medium-term accommodation options and intensive case management, primarily for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young men aged 14–18 who are on community-based justice orders. The facility provides supported accommodation and culturally based residential programs focused on community participation and integration.

Marlow Cottage, Kaleen, was established in 1986 under the Children’s Services Act 1986 and closed around 2016. It was originally known as Kaleen Youth Shelter and was run by the Welfare Branch, and later the Housing and Community Services Bureau of the ACT Government. It was established to provide accommodation for 12- to 17-year-olds who were on court orders deemed at risk of abuse or neglect, or because they must reside as directed as a condition of bail. In 1995 the Government decided to privatise the operations of the Shelter and tenders were advertised in September 1995. Public outcry ensued, with concerns that the transition from a public sector service was a sign that the government did not want to provide services for the community, that it was a cost-cutting measure, and would potentially put the local community at risk. A motion in the Legislative Assembly narrowly failed to pause the transfer of ownership with the intention to keep it in the public sector. One tender was

Outreach House was established in 1976 and was run by the Richmond Fellowship of the ACT Inc. It provided housing for young people aged 11 to 18 years who were unable to live at home. The program promoted educational opportunities and participation in social and recreational activities. The House closed around 2016.

Marymead CatholicCare commenced on the 30th June 2023, following a merger of Marymead Child and Family Centre merged with CatholicCare Canberra & Goulburn. Among other services it provides foster care, short-term accommodation for teenagers and young adults, and runs a Permanency Support Program. Marymead CatholicCare provides access to the records of the Marymead Child and Family Centre.

Marymead Child and Family Centre was established in 1967 in Narrabundah. It was run by the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, until the Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn took over responsibility in 1986. Marymead Child and Family Centre initially provided temporary residential care for children – placed by parents or by welfare officials. When it opened it could accommodate 60 children with 10 in each cottage home. It is estimated that 4,000 – 5,000 children have stayed at the home since it opened. In 2018, Marymead continued to provide residential care for girls and boys aged 5 to 17, as well as family support programs, foster care, disability support, literacy and language support, research into issues impacting children and counselling services. Marymead Child and Family Centre merged with CatholicCare Canberra & Goulburn on 30 June 2023 becoming Marymead CatholicCare Canberra & Goulburn.

Marymead holds over 400 boxes of card files and paper files dating from its inception in 1967 to the present day. The number of files is substantial as thousands of children or young people have stayed at the home and long term residents could be with Marymead for upwards of 10 years. A file has been created for each client in either a card or paper format. The archive also includes a large number of photographs that trace the development of Marymead and features many children who were supported by the organisation. Access Conditions For access to these records please contact Marymead Child and Family Centre. It is a policy of Marymead not to charge clients for copies of their records. Also, clients have the right to add information to their Marymead file, and to insert an amendment should they believe that the information that Marymead holds is not accurate. An electronic database indexing Marymead’s client files has been developed to better assist former clients seeking

Please contact Marymead CatholicCare: Postal Address: PO Box 4260, Kingston ACT 2604 Phone: (02) 6162 5800 Email: reception@mccg.org.au Website: https://mccg.org.au/

The Villa Maria Society was established in 1948. Previously it was known as the Catholic Braille Writers’ Association, founded in 1907. From 1938, it ran the Villa Maria Hostel in Prahran, a residence for adult blind people. In 1957, Villa Maria Society established St Paul’s School for the Blind (which continues to operate in 2022 as St Paul’s College). In 2015, Villa Maria merged with Catholic Homes, creating the new organisation Villa Maria Catholic Homes (VMCH).

The Senate report, Betrayal of Trust and the Royal Commission have all made recommendations about the need to provide external oversight to ensure that claims made against institutions, via civil litigation for abuse, are transparent and non‐adversarial. Read More…

A memorial dedicated to children who were in institutional ‘care’ has recently been installed on the Geelong foreshore in Victoria. The hand-carved limestone couch (by local artist Jacinta Leitch) was officially launched in July 2015. Read More…

Up late? Here’s a list of stories & memories of Forgotten Australians, Former Child Migrants, & members of the Stolen Generations represented in film. Read More…

People who grew up in care are actively prevented from finding out banal details about their lives that are often taken for granted.

This photograph was taken at Northcote Training Farm school, Glenmore, Victoria. It shows two boys (presumably residents of the training farm) each holding two piglets.

Wattle Place hosts a regular interagency meeting of services in the Sydney area who hold care records. At one of our recent meetings we invited Barbara Reed of Recordkeeping Innovation to speak about her work with the Department of Social Services and the creation of the Access to Records by Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants Read More…

The Ministering Children’s League of Tasmania Collection is held at the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery (QVMAG), Launceston. It contains records dating from c.1907 to 2006 that relate to the administration and activities of the Minstering Children’s League Tasmanian branch. Access Conditions These records are open access, and can be viewed by appointment at the Archives and History Centre of the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery in Launceston. For access to this collection please contact QVMAG. Records The records of the Minstering Children’s League in Tasmania were donated to the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery in 2006. They contain primarily administrative records relating to the activities of the MCL. A small number of records in this collection relate to the Ministering Children’s League Convalescent Home (1900-1950), however it does not appear that this collection contains any records relating to children at the home. The collection include

This image shows the Old Gaol building of the Hobart Anglesea Barracks. From 1881 to 1905 the Hobart Girls’ Training School was located in this building.

This image shows the Church of England Mission House.

The Laurels children’s home was established in Kogarah as a girls’ home by the United Protestant Association of New South Wales in 1950. The Laurels was built in 1886 by Edmond English. The Laurels closed in 1973 and after refurbishment became an aged care facility.

Care Experienced History Month is over for another year. Here are some of the highlights.

Earlier this month, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) delivered its final report, including 94 ‘calls to action’. Two of these refer to Aboriginal peoples’ ‘inalienable right to know the truth about what happened and why, with regard to human rights violations committed against them in the residential schools’. What is this right to know the truth?Read More…

This image shows Hillcrest Hospital Administration Block.

Finding information about a childhood spent in institutional ‘care’ is not easy. Even when records are found and released, decisions affecting individual lives may not be clearly explained in case files. Read More…

Photographs play an important role in everyone’s life – they connect us to our past, they remind us of people, places, feelings, and stories. They can help us to know who we are. For people who grew up in children’s institutions, photographs are especially important – sadly, this is because for so many people, the photographs most of us take for granted, don’t exist. Read More…

This is a photograph of boys in a classroom at Weroona Home. It shows 16 boys seated at desks in a classroom, facing a teacher pointing to the board at the front of the room. Another classroom can be seen through a doorway to the right of the photograph.

This is a copy of a photograph showing new signage being erected at the entrance of the Alexandra Toddlers’ Home, run by the Ballarat Town and City Mission.

This is a photo of the Charlton Boys’ Home at Bowral. It shows a large single-storey house surrounded by trees and gardens. The caption published with the image reads “Side view of the new Charlton Home at Bowral”. This photo is undated – the date included is an estimate.

This is a copy of a photograph of Clifton Lodge from July 1987. It was donated to Stanton Library by the North Shore Historical Society. It shows a two-storey brick building with a cast iron verandah. There is a white van parked out front and signage that says “Sydney City Mission: Clifton Lodge”.

This is a photograph of girls at the Church of England Home for Girls, Avona, at Glebe. It shows approximately 40 girls standing on a lawn in front of Avona, which is a large stone building with wrought-iron verandahs. Some of the girls are holding hands and standing in a circle, while others face the camera straight-on. Most of the girls are wearing dark dresses with large white collars, though a few of them are wearing white aprons. Two women in white aprons (presumably staff members) can be seen on the lower verandah of Avona, which is raised up several metres from the lawn. To the side of Avona there is a glass conservatory or green-house, and in the background the Girls Training Home ‘Tress-Manning’ can be seen.

This is a photo of a display cupboard in the art and craft room at Janefield Training Centre. It shows a double-width cupboard with items such as dolls, animals, windmills, and magazine racks displayed – presumably all items made by children at Janefield. This photograph is part of the collection of the Greensborough Historical Society, which includes other photographs and items (such as newsletters and school curriculum) from Janefield.

This is a copy of a photograph held by the National Archives of Australia in Series A8739, Aboriginal Affairs photographic negatives. It shows the exterior of Kiah Hostel in 1974.

This is a copy of a photograph from the Geelong Heritage Centre collection of Bethany Babies’ Home’s Gala Day float in 1932. Several infants and nurses rode on the float, in front of a sign that said “Australia’s Best Products”. On the back of the photograph is written: “Second Prize Gala Day 4/11/32, Bethany Babies Home, Miss Blakiston, Matron Erwood, Nurses Knight and Harvey and some of the children”.

This is a copy of a photograph of Linnwood Hall that is published on ‘The Life of Riley’ website (the autobiography by Christina Green).

Next month, on 17 June 2015, a memorial to children who died in state care in South Australia will be unveiled at the West Terrace Cemetery in Adelaide. Read More…