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Kurbingai Hostel

Kurbingai Hostel was set up in Semaphore in 1958 by Mr WJL Sutton, a former superintendent of St Francis House. It operated as a private hostel for Aboriginal boys up to the age of 16 attending local schools. Most boys were placed at the Hostel by the Aborigines Protection Board. After numerous complaints the Aborigines…

Junior Red Cross Home, Henley Beach

The Junior Red Cross Home opened at Henley Beach in 1933 as a convalescent and holiday Home for children undergoing treatment at the Adelaide Children’s Hospital. Run by the Red Cross, it accommodated up to 20 children. In 1946 a second building was added to the Home and the combined premises became known as the…

Adelaide Children’s Hospital

The Adelaide Children’s Hospital opened in 1879 in North Adelaide. It was run by a board of management and funded by donations, fund raising and government subsidies. The Adelaide Children’s Hospital ran the Queen Victoria Convalescent Home for Children at Mount Lofty and Mareeba Babies Hospital. It also purchased and ran Estcourt House at Tennyson….

James Brown Memorial Trust

The James Brown Memorial Trust was a sum of money bequeathed in 1892 by James Brown’s wife, Jessie, to be used for benevolent purposes in his memory. The Trust was established by an Act of Parliament, The James Brown Memorial Act 1894. The legacy was used to establish both Kalyra Hospital and Estcourt House. The…

Estcourt House

Estcourt House opened at Grange in 1894 as a Home for the elderly and children with disabilities. It was run by the James Brown Memorial Trust. From 1931 it became a convalescent home for children only. It was taken over by the Adelaide Children’s Hospital in 1955. It closed in 1978, when it became part…

Drapers’ Hall

Drapers’ Hall was established in 1962 by the Fairbridge Society Incorporated. From 1962 to 1964 it was located in a house in East Terrace, Adelaide, and then around 1965 moved to Crafers. It accommodated children from Britain between the ages of 6 to 16 who had been brought to Australia as part of the Fairbridge…

Aborigines’ Friends’ Association

The Aborigines’ Friends’ Association (AFA) was established in Adelaide in 1858 to help improve the living conditions and welfare of Aboriginal people and to encourage Aboriginal people to convert to Christianity. The AFA had a representative on the Advisory Board of the Aboriginal Women’s Home in North Adelaide from 1926 to 1972. The AFA held…

Tanderra Girls’ Home

Tanderra Girls’ Home was opened by the South Australian Council of the United Aborigines Mission at Parkside in 1952. It was established as accommodation for older Aboriginal girls who had left Colebrook Home. It accommodated up to ten girls. In later years Tanderra moved to Torrensville. The Home closed in 1973. Tanderra Girls Home was…

Aboriginal Women’s Home, North Adelaide

The Aboriginal Women’s Home opened at North Adelaide in 1926 as a boarding house for Aboriginal women and children. The Adelaide City Mission ran the Home with financial assistance from the government. The Home accommodated up to 22 women and children, many from country areas who were in Adelaide for medical treatment. The Home closed…

Ooldea Mission

The Ooldea Mission was established by the United Aborigines Mission (UAM) in 1933 at Ooldea Soak. A government Aboriginal reserve was established in 1938 that encompassed the Mission. A children’s dormitory was established at the Mission which accommodated up to 60 Aboriginal children. A small number of children were moved to Gerard Mission in 1945….