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 New South Wales, records relating to individuals, such as case files and correspondence are closed to public access for 100 years. Records such as registers and indexes are closed to public access for 80 years.
More recent records are closed to protect personal privacy. People wishing to access records about themselves will need to submit a GIPA (Government Information Public Access) form to the Department of Communities and Justice Open Government, Information and Privacy unit.
Records in this collection that are older than 80/100 years are open to the public, and can be accessed by contacting Museums of History NSW (State Archives).
Many of the earlier records in this collection have been included in the Child Care and Protection Index 1817-1942, which is accessible online and contains the names of children, the institution they were sent to, and sometimes the names of their parents/guardians and siblings.
Records
The records series listed below have been arranged by the institution/s that created them. Some series span a wider date range and were used by more than one institution, and so have been listed multiple times under different headings.
For more information about a particular record, click the link in its title to read the Museums of History NSW (State Archives) description. Not all records listed here have been fully processed at the time of writing (May 2023), and as such further information may not be available for all records.
Newcastle Industrial School for Females (1867 – 1871)
Biloela Industrial School, Cockatoo Island (1871 – 1887)
Parramatta Girls Industrial School (1887 – 1912)
- Registers of warrants received, 1867-1942. Reference Number: NRS-14722.
- Copies of letters sent by the Superintendent, 1968-1909. Reference Number: NRS-14717.
- Discharge register, 1869-1899. Reference Number: NRS-14723.
- Daily Diaries, 1885-1938
- Registers of apprenticeships, 1895-1910. Reference Number: NRS-14729.
- Admission, discharge and after career register, 1887-1942. Reference Number: NRS-14730.
- Daily Admission and Discharge Registers, 1897-1942. Reference Number: NRS-14725.
- Register of committals, 1906-1978. Reference Number: NRS-14724.
- Reports on conditional discharges, 1908-1925. Reference Number: NRS-14732.
Parramatta Girls Training Home (1912 – 1946)
- Registers of warrants received, 1867-1942. Reference Number: NRS-14722.
- Daily Diaries, 1885-1938
- Admission, discharge and after career register, 1887-1942. Reference Number: NRS-14730.
- Daily Admission and Discharge Registers, 1897-1942. Reference Number: NRS-14725.
- Register of committals, 1906-1978. Reference Number: NRS-14724.
- Reports on conditional discharges, 1908-1925. Reference Number: NRS-14732.
- Diet books, 1927-1973. Reference Number: NRS-14743.
- Admission and discharge register, 1941-1943. Reference Number: NRS-14731.
- Muster Books, 1942-1973. Reference Number: NRS-14726.
Parramatta Girls Training School (1946 – 1974)
- Muster Books, 1942-1973. Reference Number: NRS-14726.
These Muster books also include records about girls sent to Hay Institution.
- Registers of medical treatment , 1949-1973. Reference Number: NRS-14750.
- Admission and discharge registers, weekly movement, 1950-1974. Reference Number: NRS-20475.
- Registered correspondence files, 1951-1983. Reference Number: NRS-20501.
- Kamballa Special Unit Miscellaneous correspondence files, 1952-1974. Reference Number: RNCG-5032.
Although these records are titled with Kamballa, they appear to pre-date Kamballa.
- Ledger sheets for inmates’ trust accounts, 1956-1983. Reference Number: NRS-14755.
- Copies of returns for the segregation of difficult girls, 1957-1960. Reference Number: NRS-14736.
- Copies of monthly returns of absconders, 1957-1960. Reference Number: NRS-14735.
These records also include information about girls who had absconded from Thornleigh.
- Copies of Weekly Returns of Inmates, 1957-1960. Reference Number: NRS-14727.
These records also include information about girls who were absent/had absconded from Myee.
- Dental treatment books, 1957-1971. Reference Number: NRS-14752.
- Dental history cards, 1958-1971. Reference Number: NRS-14751.
- Medical record cards, 1958-1979. Reference Number: NRS-14753.
- Unregistered correspondence files, 1958-1983. Reference Number: NRS-20502.
- Treatment register, 1959-1966. Reference Number: NRS-20490.
- Inmates’ property registers, 1959-1983. Reference Number: NRS-14756.
- Visitors’ book, 1963-1968. Reference Number: NRS-14757.
- Behavioural record cards, 1963-1973. Reference Number: NRS-14729.
- Institution Inmates’ Files, 1964-1972. Reference Number: NRS-14728.
- Copies Of Recommendations For Discharge From Institutions, 1964-1973. Reference Number: NRS-14734.
These records also contain information about girls admitted to Hay Institution for Girls.
- Kambala Special Unit, Parramatta: Institutional files ([‘I’] “B” files), 1965-1983. Reference Number: RNCG-5027.
- Inmate trust account cash books, 1966-1982. Reference Number: NRS-20549.
- Medical books, 1967-1974. Reference Number: NRS-20489.
- Progress report book, 1969-1979. Reference Number: NRS-20496.
- Payment books, 1969-1983. Reference Number: NRS-20548.
- Copies Of Institutional Committal Schedules, 1970-1973. Reference Number: NRS-14733.
- Kamballa Special Unit Medical record cards, 1971-1974. Reference Number: RNCG-5031.
- R-R record cards, 1971-1983. Reference Number: NRS-14754.
- Papers relating to dormitory locations and allocation of duties to inmates, 1972-1973. Reference Number: NRS-14737.
- Dormitory competition mark sheets, 1972-1973. Reference Number: NRS-14738.
- Kamballa Special Unit Institutional committal schedule, 1973. Reference Number: RNCG-5030.
Although these records are titled with Kamballa, they appear to pre-date Kamballa.
- Kamballa Special Unit Behavioural record cards, 1974. Reference Number: RNCG-5028.
Although these records are titled with Kamballa, they appear to pre-date Kamballa.
Kamballa (1974 – 1983)
- Register of committals, 1906-1978. Reference Number: NRS-14724.
- Registered correspondence files, 1951-1983. Reference Number: NRS-20501.
- Ledger sheets for inmates’ trust accounts, 1956-1983. Reference Number: NRS-14755.
- Medical record cards, 1958-1979. Reference Number: NRS-14753.
- Unregistered correspondence files, 1958-1983. Reference Number: NRS-20502.
Some of these correspondence records contain information about Taldree, and may refer to boys in residence there.
- Inmates’ property registers, 1959-1983. Reference Number: NRS-14756.
- Kambala Special Unit, Parramatta: Institutional files ([‘I’] “B” files), 1965-1983. Reference Number: RNCG-5027.
- Inmate trust account cash books, 1966-1982. Reference Number: NRS-20549.
- R-R record cards, 1971-1983. Reference Number: NRS-14754.
- Admission register, 1974-1981. Reference Number: NRS-20485.
- Discharge register, 1976-1980. Reference Number: NRS-20486.
- Senior Officer’s log books, 1977-1983. Reference Number: NRS-20545.
- Dormitory Youth Workers handover books, 1978-1981. Reference Number: NRS-20543.
- Isolation book, 1978-1981. Reference Number: NRS-20497.
This isolation book contains information about boys in residence at Taldree who were placed in isolation.
- Inmates assessments, 1979-1982. Reference Number: NRS-20500.
- Travel warrants, 1980-1982. Reference Number: NRS-20579.
- Girls’ phone calls, 1980-1983. Reference Number: NRS-20551.
- Nightwatchman’s log books, 1981-1983. Reference Number: NRS-20553.
- Ex-inmate contact book, 1981-1983. Reference Number: NRS-20555.
- Memorandum books, 1981-1983. Reference Number: NRS-20575.
- Youth Workers log books, 1982-1983. Reference Number: NRS-20546.
