The Hammond Island Mission Orphanage, on Hammond Island, was run by the the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. It opened in 1929 and closed in January 1942, when the residents were evacuated to Cooyar. A boys’ dormitory housed the children. The orphanage reopened in 1948, ‘for only a short time’ (Deere, 1994). Hammond Island was…
Mercy Family Services delivers programs for children, young people and families in south-east Queensland, including residential care, foster care and kinship care. It is sponsored by the Brisbane Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy.
The Xavier Home for Crippled Children, in Coorparoo, operated from 1949 to 1994. The weatherboard house was purchased by the Xavier Society in the 1940s to become a Home for children afflicted by polio. It was officially opened by Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane Duhig on 15 May 1949. From 1951, the Xavier Home was run by…
The St Vincent’s Orphanage, in Nudgee, was operated by the Order of the Sisters of Mercy. It was established in 1867 when children were transferred from New Farm St Vincent’s to the property at Nudgee. In 1935 the name was changed to St Vincent’s Children’s Home. In the 1860s orphaned and homeless children were living…
St Joseph’s Home, in Bucasia, opened in 1874 and closed in 1885 when the residents were moved to new premises at Neerkol. The home was run by the Sisters of St Joseph until 1880 when the Sisters of Mercy took over management of the home. The home housed orphaned and abandoned boys and girls from…
Centre Care Brisbane was the new name given to the Catholic Family Welfare Bureau in 1984. In 1991 the name was updated to Centacare Brisbane. Centacare is the welfare agency of the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Brisbane. First established in the late 1950s as a Catholic Marriage Advisory Council, the service has evolved…
The Industrial School for Girls, in Wooloowin, was operated by the Sisters of Mercy, Brisbane Congregation. It opened in 1904 and in around 1966 the name was changed to the Holy Cross Home. The girls worked in the laundry which was located on the same site. Very young children were not taken into the home…
The Mercy Centre, in Wooloowin, is operated by the Sisters of Mercy. It was previously known as the Holy Cross Retreat. In 1977 a new building was erected for the physically and mentally disabled. Care for unmarried mothers continued. This new complex was renamed Mercy Centre.
The Hospitaller Order of St John of God came to Australia from Ireland in 1947 to care for people experiencing disadvantage. The Brothers began ministries in New South Wales and Victoria, and then in Christchurch, New Zealand, focusing initially on learning difficulties and intellectual disability, then on psychiatric care and child and family social services….
The Good Shepherd Home for Girls, situated in Mitchelton, was run by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd. Initially set up in 1930, the institution focused on the reformation of girls and the care of poor, neglected children. The name was changed to Mt Maria Re-Education Centre in 1966. According to the publication A Piece…