Wesley Central Parish Mission came into being in 1977. It was formerly known as Wesley Central Mission. In 2001, it was renamed Wesley Mission Melbourne.
‘Glastonbury at Colac’ was established in 1977 when Glastonbury Children’s Home in Geelong purchased St Cuthbert’s Children’s Home. It operated three family group homes on the site. The Geelong-based organisation Glastonbury Children’s Home had a longstanding concern for children in Victoria’s Western District. Glastonbury purchased St Cuthbert’s Children’s Home in Colac when it closed in…
OzChild was created in July 1993, when three long-established child welfare agencies – Family Action, Family Focus, and The National Children’s Bureau of Australia – amalgamated to form Oz Child: Children Australia Inc. which later operated as OzChild. OzChild is one of Australia’s oldest independent children’s welfare organisations, with a history of helping children since…
The Australian Jewish Welfare Society (AJWS) was established in 1936, primarily as a support agency for Jewish pre-war and post-war migrants. Some Jewish children fleeing the Nazis in Germany and Austria immigrated to Australia, some being cared for at Frances Barkman House in Balwyn, Victoria. In 2001 the Australian Jewish Welfare Society was renamed Jewish…
The Foundling Hospital and Infants’ Home was incorporated in 1914 to run the Foundling Hospital and Infants’ Home in East Melbourne as well as the Beaconsfield Babies’ Home. The Beaconsfield Home closed in 1946, and in 1964 the East Melbourne Foundling Hospital became known as Berry Street Babies’ Home and Hospital. The Foundling Hospital and…
The Melbourne City Mission Maternity Home opened in Brunswick in 1900. It housed pregnant mothers, babies and arranged some adoptions. From 1947 a Toddlers’ Home called Hartnett House operated on the same site. In 1955, the Maternity Home and Toddlers’ Home were amalgamated into one unit. It was renamed Hartnett House in 1958. The Melbourne…
The Carry On Club of Victoria was established in 1932 to provide welfare assistance to the ex-service community. It was founded by William Hawkins. Carry On operated a Home in Brighton named Hurlingham, and a family group Home in Mitcham. Carry On assists Australian and Allied ex-servicemen and women in need who have served or…
The aim of the Victorian Association of Day Nurseries, formerly known as the Association of Creches from 1913, was ‘to assist parents and children who have been deprived of normal happy home life by tragedy and disaster to overcome their difficulties and rebuild their lives’. The Day Nurseries provided day care (not residential care) for…
Mallee Family Care was established in 1979, one of a number of regional programs established by Melbourne Family Care. These new organisations came into being in a policy environment in which the government was pursuing options for children to be placed in ‘care’ in or near the communities in which their families lived. Having been…
The Sandhurst Industrial School was established in 1868, within the grounds of the Bendigo (or Sandhurst) Benevolent Asylum. The Neglected and Criminal Children’s Act 1864 allowed for the establishment of private industrial schools. There were 3 private industrial schools in Victoria, the other two (in Geelong and Abbotsford) were Catholic institutions. Neglected children had been housed…
Dec 18, 2024
Nov 15, 2024
