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Secretary to the Governor

The Secretary to the Governor was a position established when the Colony of New South Wales was founded on 26 January 1788. The Secretary to the Governor was an executive officer appointed by the Governor to complete duties at his discretion. These duties generally related to administration and recordkeeping of the new colony. The office…

Department of Education and Communities, State Government of New South Wales

The Department of Education and Communities was established in 2011. Previously it was the Department of Education and Training.

Department of Family and Community Services, State Government of New South Wales

The Department of Family and Community Services is a New South Wales state government department established in 2011. It replaced the Department of Human Services which was active from 2009 to 2011. The Department of Family and Community Services provides services and assistance to disadvantaged families, individuals and communities in New South Wales. Community Services…

Department of Charitable Institutions

The Department of Charitable Institutions was a New South Wales government agency that was established in 1888. It took over the responsibilities of the Inspector of Public Charities. It administered state hospitals and asylums for the infirm. It had overall responsibility for the State Children’s Relief Branch and the Government Asylums Branch. It oversaw the…

Metropolitan Hospitals and Charities Department, State Government of New South Wales

The Metropolitan Hospitals and Charities Department was the name given to the Department of Charitable Institutions in 1911. It had responsibility for state hospitals and asylums for the infirm. It was amalgamated with the Office of the Director-General of Public Health, the forerunner of the Department of Public Health, in 1913.

Office of the Director-General of Public Health

The Office of the Director-General of Public Health was a department created by the New South Wales Government in 1913 as part of the Chief Secretary’s Department. It had responsibility for government asylums for the infirm, which had previously been part of the Metropolitan Hospitals and Charities Department. It looked after public health areas such…

Inspector of Public Charities

The Inspector of Public Charities was a person appointed by the New South Wales Government under the Public Institutions Inspection Act 1866 to inquire into the management of all hospitals, infirmaries, orphan schools and charitable institutions that received government funds. In 1886 areas of responsibility that the Inspector of Public Charities reported upon included the…

Hospitals Commission of New South Wales

The Hospitals Commission of New South Wales was a board appointed by the New South Wales Government in 1929 to provide a complete hospital system. It did not run hospitals, as hospitals had their own boards and management. The duties of the Commission were to inspect hospitals, inquire into standards and hospital administration, determine which…

Department of Public Health, State Government of New South Wales

The New South Wales Department of Public Health was established as a separate ministerial department by the New South Wales Government in 1938. It held responsibility for general hospitals (previously under the Colonial Secretary’s Department), mental hospitals (previously under the Master of Lunacy), and the Office of Public Health. From 1965 this Department contained a…

Northern Sydney Local Health Network Medical Records

As at May, 2013, Northern Sydney Local Health Network Medical Records managed the records of Dalwood Children’s Home. People seeking access to records will need to provide a photocopy of identification, such as a drivers’ licence, and a letter stating the years they were in the Home, including a contact number.