The Salvation Army ran a Maternity Home in North Fremantle from 1903 (the Open Door) but by the 1920s it was known as Hillcrest. The records in the Hillcrest collection date from 1912 until the Home closed in 1974. Any records about adoption are protected by the requirements of the Adoption Act 1994 (WA) and are released via Past Adoption Information & Services, Child Protection and Family Support. When the Home closed, the Salvation Army decided it would be best to give the Department all the records that still existed about adoptions of babies from the Home.
Access to these records is restricted and confidentiality is protected by Child Protection and Family Support's Protocols for Access. If you believe the Department may hold records about you, or about a family member, you are encouraged to apply. CPFS has an application form which you must use to apply for records: Application for Past Adoption Services
As with all records from the past, the information available will differ from person to person and from year to year, but in many cases there is at least some small amount of information about babies and the mothers who gave birth to them at the Home during this time. The Admissions and Discharges Register covers all years from 1912 to 1974. The collection includes records from the World War II years when Hillcrest relocated to West Perth.
The Hillcrest Records collection includes the following records, which differ in how complete they are:
Prepared by: Debra Rosser
Created: 22 March 2012, Last modified: 14 September 2017
Last updated: 17 October 2023
Cite this: https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/ref/wa/biogs/WE00619b.htm
First published by the Find & Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
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