Holmbush was the first residential accommodation operated by Melbourne Legacy, and was established in 1942. It accommodated boys aged between 9 and 19, usually attending secondary school. In 1956, Holmbush became known as Blamey House.
Holmbush was for children aged 9 to 19. It was located not far from another Legacy home, Stanhope (1245 Burke Road).
Residents of Holmbush and other Legacy homes were the children of deceased ex-servicemen. Sometimes residents at Legacy homes were both children of ex-servicemen and wards of state.
In 1956, Blamey House, another Legacy children's home formerly in Beaumaris moved into the Holmbush property in Kew, and it was renamed Blamey House.
Sources used to compile this entry: The story of Legacy is a story of human kindness … Where no trumpets flourish, The Argus, 16 May 1952, 4 pp, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23181514; 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Guide to out-of-home care services 1940-2000 - Volume One: Agency Descriptions, Department of Human Services, Unpublished, November 2001, https://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/sites/default/files/DHS.3004.011.0367.pdf; Senate Community Affairs References Committee Secretariat, Parliament of Australia, Protecting Vulnerable Children: a national challenge: Second report on the inquiry into children in institutional or out-of-home care, Commonwealth of Australia, March 2005, http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Community_Affairs/Completed_inquiries/2004-07/inst_care/report2/index.
Prepared by: Cate O'Neill
Created: 12 June 2009, Last modified: 27 June 2013