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Victoria - Organisation

Harelands (c. 1952 - 1977)

From
c. 1952
To
1977
Categories
Home, Hostel and Non-denominational
Alternative Names
  • Blamey House (c. 1977 - )

Harelands was a hostel in Kew established by Melbourne Legacy in around 1952. It was first a hostel for young people in employment, but later housed boys and girls aged 6 to 14, including the children of ex-servicemen and some state wards. In 1977, Harelands was renamed Blamey House.

Details

In May 1952, the Argus reported that Melbourne Legacy planned to open a new residence, Harelands, 'to keep pace with the demands upon its guardianship'. (Legacy ran 3 other children's homes at that time.) It was located at 5 Willsmere Road, Kew.

Originally, Harelands was a hostel for Junior Legatees, who were in employment but not quite ready to live independently. According to Jenkinson, Harelands later changed its function to receive boys and girls aged 6 to 14.

Residents of Harelands 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.

Harelands was renamed Blamey House in 1977 (Legacy had previously operated homes also called Blamey House at Beaumaris and Kew). It provided accommodation for boys aged 13 and over until it closed in 1980.

Location

c. 1952 - 1977
Address - The Harelands hostel was located at 5 Willsmere Road, Kew. Location: Kew

Timeline

 c. 1952 - 1977 Harelands
       c. 1949 - c. 1977 Blamey House
       1977 - 1980 Blamey House

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Details

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Guide to out-of-home care services 1940-2000 - Volume One: Agency Descriptions, Department of Human Services, Unpublished, November 2001, https://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/sites/default/files/DHS.3004.011.0367.pdf; Senate Community Affairs References Committee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