Bethesda Maternity Hospital
These Case Notes, which comprise of eight card drawers, relate to each woman who was admitted and gave birth in Bethesda Maternity Hospital. For each woman the information includes: name; date admitted; address; age; family (parents and address); occupation; who referred by; religion; nature of referral (e.g. admission to Bethesda Hospital); details of subsequent contacts; and which Salvation Army home or hostel the woman stayed in prior to admission to hospital.
Former residents and clients can access information about themselves after providing proof of identity. Access to information may be given to a third party providing they have written permission from the person to whom the information relates, can prove a connection with that person, or show evidence that the person is deceased. All other applications for access will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Access to information about adoptions is subject to the provisions of the NSW Adoption Act 2000.
The amount of additional information attached to the Cate Notes folder varies for each woman. In most cases, there is information about the woman's background; details of the birth of the baby; information about the baby's adoption (if relevant), including name and address of adopting parents; biographical information about the birth parents including height, hair and eye colouring, complexion, age, religion, occupation, education, interests; and father's name. In the case of adoptions, a medical report on the child may be attached.
Often there is also correspondence attached from the woman seeking help from the Salvation Army (e.g. accommodation for the duration of her pregnancy, assistance in organising an adoption, etc.), along with a reply from the Social Department. There is often a letter of reference from the Social Department to the home/hostel where the woman was going to stay prior to her admission to hospital.
Sources used to compile this entry: Thinee, Kristy and Bradford, Tracy, Connecting Kin: Guide to Records, A guide to help people separated from their families search for their records [completed in 1998], New South Wales Department of Community Services, Sydney, New South Wales, 1998, https://clan.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/connectkin_guide.pdf.
Prepared by: Melissa Downing
Created: 10 August 2011, Last modified: 10 March 2014