Forster Lodge was established by the Try Society in South Yarra in July 1951. It was the Society's first hostel for 'homeless boys who wished to learn a trade.' In 1963 this hostel was demolished to be replaced with a new purpose built structure to accommodate eight boys between the ages of 14 to 16 years. The Try Boys' Hostel, as it became known, was nearby, in Cromwell Road, South Yarra. The hostel closed in the early 1990s.
Forster Lodge accommodated mainly Wards of the State. The hostel closed in the early 1990s as a result of financial pressures caused by a required change in staffing arrangements. The building was sold to reduce the Try Boys Society overdraft.
Sources used to compile this entry: Annual report: Social Welfare Department, Government Printer, Melbourne, 1961-1978; 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Guide to out-of-home care services 1940-2000 - Volume One: Agency Descriptions, Department of Human Services, Unpublished, November 2001, https://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/sites/default/files/DHS.3004.011.0367.pdf; Guide to Out-of-Home Care Services 1940-2000 - Volume Two: Data Base, with Department of Human Services, November 2001, https://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/sites/default/files/DHS.3004.011.0277.pdf.
Prepared by: Rosemary Francis
Created: 10 July 2013, Last modified: 28 February 2019