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Victoria - Organisation
Convent of the Good Shepherd, Bendigo (1905 - 1984)
- From
- 1905
- To
- 1984
- Categories
- Catholic, Children's Home and Home
- Alternative Names
- Maryfields (Also known as)
- St Aidan's Children's Centre (Also known as)
- St Aidan's Orphanage (Also known as)
The Convent of the Good Shepherd, Bendigo was established in 1905. It was also known as St Aidan's Orphanage, and was the only Good Shepherd Convent in Australia to care for boys. The section named 'St Aidan's' accommodated girls aged up to around 16 years, as well as boys aged up to around 11. 'Maryfields' housed girls and women aged from around 15 years. The Convent ceased to operate as a residential facility for children in 1981. A number of women with disabilities remained at the Convent until it closed in 1984.
Publications
Books
- Davis, Donna with Amy Willesee, Sins of the mothers: a memoir of abandonment, love and redemption, Pan Macmillan, Sydney, 2006. Details
- Gamble, Sandi, Broken - An extraordinary story of survival by one of Australia's forgotten children, Ambitions (QLD) Pty Ltd, 2013, 426 pp. Details
- Kovesi, Catherine, Pitch Your Tents on Distant Shores: a history of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd in Australia, Aotearoa/New Zealand and Tahiti, Playright Publishing, Caringbah, NSW, 2006. Details
Online Resources
- 'St Aidan's Orphanage (1905-81)', in Finding Records, Department of Health and Human Services, State of Victoria, https://www.findingrecords.dhhs.vic.gov.au/collectionresultspage/StAidansOrphanage. See the 'List of records held by the department' section for information about records relating to Convent of the Good Shepherd, Bendigo. Details
- 'Submission no 522', in Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care: Submissions received by the committee as at 17/3/05, http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Community_Affairs/Completed_inquiries/2004-07/inst_care/submissions/sublist. Details
- 'St Aidan's Orphanage [Victorian Heritage Register No H2057]', in Victorian Heritage Database, Heritage Council of Victoria, http://vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au/places/heritage/12952. Details
- 'Submission no 264', in Inquiry Into Institutional Care: Submissions received as at 17/03/05, Commonwealth of Australia, 18 October 2003, http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Community_Affairs/Completed_inquiries/2004-07/inst_care/submissions/sublist. Details
- 'Submission no 166', in Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care: Submissions received by the committee as at 17/3/05, Commonwealth of Australia, 2005, http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Community_Affairs/Completed_inquiries/2004-07/inst_care/submissions/sublist. Details
- James Jenkinson Consulting, Guide to out-of-home care services 1940-2000 - Volume One: Agency Descriptions, Department of Human Services, Unpublished, November 2001, https://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/sites/default/files/DHS.3004.011.0367.pdf. Details
- Short, Gabrielle, 'Gabrielle Short Transcript 26 March 2013', in Inquiry into the handling of child abuse by religious and other organisations, Victorian Government, 26 March 2013, http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/fcdc/article/1786. Details
Photos
- Title
- St Aidan's House
- Type
- Image
Details
- Title
- St Aidan's Orphanage
- Type
- Image
Details
- Title
- Bendigo Orphanage, West Elevation
- Type
- Image
- Date
- 1903
Details
- Title
- Negative - Bendigo, Victoria, circa 1920
- Type
- Image
- Date
- c. 1920
Details
- Title
- St Aidan's Orphanage, Bendigo
- Type
- Image
- Date
- c. 1950
Details
Sources used to compile this entry: 'St Aidan's Orphanage [Victorian Heritage Register No H2057]', in Victorian Heritage Database, Heritage Council of Victoria, http://vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au/places/heritage/12952.
Prepared by: Cate O'Neill
Created: 17 March 2009, Last modified: 24 August 2017