St Vincent de Paul Group Homes
Yoorana Cottage was one of three suburban group homes opened by the Catholic Church after the closure of the St Vincent de Paul Orphanage. The cottages together were known as the St Vincent de Paul Group Homes. Yoorana opened in 1975 and provided residential care for up to seven children under the supervision of two Sisters of Mercy. Yoorana closed as a St Vincent de Paul Home in 1987 but continued to be used until 1989 to accommodate children moved there from Woodville Cottage in Woodville. In 1989 its role was taken over by Seanachai Cottage in Dulwich.
Yoorana Cottage opened in December 1975 at 17 Harvey Avenue in Westbourne Park. It was one of three group homes, known as St Vincent de Paul Group Homes, which opened in the period 1975-1976. The Homes took over the role of providing residential care for children from the St Vincent de Paul Orphanage. The other group homes were Bon Agor House in Royston Park and Orana Cottage in Plympton.
Yoorana Cottage was funded by the Catholic Charities Appeal Fund and also received Government funding. Two Sisters of Mercy were onsite Carers in the first years with up to seven children living in the Home in a family group setting. Yoorana Cottage closed temporarily in February 1987. In May 1987 children from the Woodville Cottage at Woodville were moved to Yoorana Cottage. In June 1989 Yoorana closed and its role was combined with Seanachai Cottage in Dulwich.
1866 - 1975 St Vincent de Paul Orphanage
1975 - 1989 Yoorana Cottage
1988 - 1997 Seanachai Cottage Home
Sources used to compile this entry: Booth, Robyn, Report on the St Vincent de Paul Cottage Homes, Unpublished typescript, 1979; George, Karen, Finding your own way, Nunkuwarrin Yunti of South Australia Inc., 2005, http://nunku.org.au/resources/; Email from Annie Medley at Sisters of Mercy Archives, 3 June 2013 and Information provided by Professional Standards Records Service of the Catholic Church, May 2014.
Prepared by: Karen George and Gary George
Created: 17 February 2011, Last modified: 11 June 2014
Last updated: 7 August 2023
Cite this: https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/ref/sa/biogs/SE00212b.htm
First published by the Find & Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
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