Warminda Hostel (1968 - 1984)

Warminda was the name given to a house purchased by the Department of Native Welfare (DNW) in 1968 to accommodate working-age female Aboriginal teenagers. From the outset, Warminda was run by the Methodist Homes for Children, under agreement with the DNW. As the need emerged, Aboriginal teenagers who needed student accommodation would also live at Warminda. In 1972, the ownership of Warminda was transferred from the DNW to the Department for Community Welfare (DCW). Warminda continued to be run by the Methodist Homes for Children until 1977, and after the creation of the Uniting Church, it was run by Uniting Church Child and Family Care Services (1977-1984).

In 1975, Warminda was providing long-term, cottage Home accommodation for primary and secondary school-age boys and girls, with the average length of stay being just over one year. Short-term placements were permitted if necessary. If possible, children were boarded out with host families during school holidays. A description of Warminda in 1975 noted there was a swimming pool and fish tank, a pet and a basketball court. The house had four bedrooms (one single, and three bedrooms that could be shared by more than three children). Children went to local schools by bus, and were allowed to buy their lunch one day per week.

There had been cottage parents living with the children at Warminda throughout the years that it was run by the Methodist and Uniting Church agencies. In 2018, Martin James Cooper, a former cottage parent who came to Warminda in 1978, was convicted of 30 offences against children living in the hostel, including physical and sexual abuse.

In 1984, the management of Warminda was handed back to the government and it became a community support hostel run by the Department for Community Welfare.

Events

1968 - 1984

Address - Warminda was located at 4 Welshpool Road, Welshpool. Location: Welshpool