View showing a group of women standing outside the front door of Salvation Army Tower House Hostel for Girls, 1 Wellington Street, Launceston, Tasmania, c 1944., c. 1944, courtesy of Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery.
Details
Tower House Young Women's Hostel, run by the Salvation Army, opened in Launceston in 1943. It provided accommodation for young working women. The Hostel closed in 1978.
Tower House opened officially on 17 July 1943. Its first Matron was the former Matron of Rock Lynn House. It had accommodation for 30 young women with employment.
In an article to celebrate the opening, the Mercury said that the organisers tried to provide 'comfort and homeliness':
The ground floor consists of a cosy lounge with wall-to-wall carpet in brown and brick tonings. Modern writing tables are in the room and comfortable lounge suites can be drawn around the large fireplace. The curtains are brick and cream, and a long mirror and electric clock enhance the appearance of the room. The carpet extends into the spacious hall and a comfortable corner has been furnished with chairs and reading table for the girls and waiting visitors.
The dining room has gaily checked cloths and cream walls. Adjoining the living room is the kitchen and well-stocked pantry. A bright office is on this floor.
The laundry and a sewing machine were at the back of the building. There was a sun garden and bicycle shed.
The first and second floors had bedrooms, bathrooms and shower rooms. Each young woman had her own wardrobe.
Sources used to compile this entry: 'Salvation Army takes over hostel', The Mercury (Hobart), 13 November 1928, p. 6, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article25987263; The Salvation Army Australia Southern Territory, Children's Homes: A list of openings, closings and function, Appendix A of Submission 46 to the Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care, Commonwealth of Australia, 2003, http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Community_Affairs/Completed_inquiries/2004-07/inst_care/submissions/sublist.
Prepared by: Cate O'Neill
Created: 24 January 2011, Last modified: 23 October 2018
Last updated: 4 August 2023
Cite this: https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/ref/tas/biogs/TE00079b.htm
First published by the Find & Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
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