Some people may find content on this website distressing. Read more
Victoria - Organisation

St Catherine's Orphanage (1912 - 1960)

  • St Catherine's Geelong

    St Catherine's Geelong, courtesy of MacKillop Family Services.
    Details

From
1912
To
1960
Categories
Catholic, Home and Orphanage

St Catherine's Orphanage was the new name given in 1912 to what was formerly Our Lady's Orphanage. It accommodated girls aged between 3 and 14. In 1928, the Orphanage relocated from Newtown to Highton. In 1960, it became the St Catherine's Children's Home.

Details

Barnard and Twigg suggest that the Sisters of Mercy changed the orphanage's name from Our Lady to St Catherine's to distinguish it from the Sacred Heart Boarding School and the day primary school, which were located on the same site.

An appeal for a new building was launched in 1926, and in 1928 St Catherine's Orphanage relocated from Newtown to Highton.

In November 1955, St Catherine's Girls' Orphanage was declared an approved children's home under the Children's Welfare Act 1954.

In 1957, Sister Isidore Ryder took charge at St Catherine's. A year later, it started to receive boys (usually the younger brothers of girls already at the Orphanage). Subsequently, St Catherine's changed its name to St Catherine's Children's Home in 1960.

Location

1912 - 1928
Location - St Catherine's Orphanage was located in Newtown, Geelong. Location: Geelong
1928 - 1960
Location - St Catherine's Orphanage relocates from Newtown to what is now the corner of Roslyn Road and Thornhill Road, Highton, Geelong. Location: Geelong

Timeline

 c. 1862 - 1912 Our Lady's Orphanage
       1912 - 1960 St Catherine's Orphanage
             1960 - 1975 St Catherine's Children's Home
                   c. 1975 - 1997 Mercy Family Care Centre
                         1997 - MacKillop Family Services

Related Archival Collections

Related Organisations

Publications

Books

  • Barnard, Jill; Twigg, Karen, Holding on to Hope: a history of the founding agencies of MacKillop Family Services 1854-1997, Australian Scholarly Publishing, Melbourne, 2004. Details
  • Flanagan, Maureen, Along the way, Lexington Avenue Press, Copacabana, NSW, 2002. Details
  • Hollander, Robyn and Margaret Jacobs, Life lines, stories by women in the western suburbs of Melbourne, Melbourne's Living Museum of the West, 1985. Details
  • Prior, Tom, A knockabout priest: the story of Father John Brosnan, Hargreen, North Melbourne, 1985. Details

Newspaper Articles

  • 'State wards call for help over abuse', The Age, 16 April 1997, p. A1, A4. Details

Online Resources

Photos

St Catherine's Party Night
Title
St Catherine's Party Night
Type
Image
Source
MacKillop Family Services

Details

St Catherine's Geelong
Title
St Catherine's Geelong
Type
Image
Source
MacKillop Family Services

Details

St Catherine's Girls' Orphanage Appeal
Title
St Catherine's Girls' Orphanage Appeal
Type
Image
Date
1912? - 1960?
Source
MacKillop Family Services

Details

Sources used to compile this entry: Victoria Government Gazette Online Archive 1836-1997, State Library of Victoria, 2009, http://gazette.slv.vic.gov.au/; Barnard, Jill; Twigg, Karen, Holding on to Hope: a history of the founding agencies of MacKillop Family Services 1854-1997, Australian Scholarly Publishing, Melbourne, 2004.

Prepared by: Cate O'Neill