Archives



House of Mercy and Retreat for Women

The House of Mercy and Retreat for Women was established in Walkerville by the Church of England in 1881. It provided shelter for unmarried mothers during pregnancy and the first year of their babies’ lives. Babies stayed with their mothers, were placed at the Babies’ Home Walkerville or adopted. The House of Mercy closed in…

Karingal Youth Hostel

The Karingal Youth Hostel was opened by the Church of England in Hindmarsh in 1952. It was run by an independent management committee that reported to the Diocese of Adelaide. It provided accommodation for boys of 15 to 18 years, from the Church of England Boys’ Home at Walkerville and similar institutions, while they studied…

Hostel of the Holy Name

The Hostel of the Holy Name was the new name given to the Church of England Diocesan Mission House in 1949. The hostel was situated in Wellington Square, North Adelaide. Run by the Sisters of the Community of the Holy Name, it cared for teenage girls from the country who were studying or working in…

Girls’ Friendly Society Lodge

The Girls’ Friendly Society Lodge was opened by the Church of England Girls’ Friendly Society at Kermode Street, North Adelaide in 1913. It provided a home for country girls working or studying in the city. In 1916 the lodge moved to Pennington Terrace, North Adelaide. During World War II it provided accommodation for female munitions…

Farr House

Farr House was the new name given to The Orphan Home in 1935. It was situated on Fullarton Road, Upper Mitcham and operated as a Home for girls of primary school age. In later years it also accepted teenage girls. Farr House was run by an independent management committee that reported to the Anglican Diocese…

The Babies’ Home Walkerville

The Babies’ Home at Walkerville was established by the Church of England in Walkerville in 1912. It cared for, and often adopted out, babies born at the House of Mercy, a refuge for unmarried mothers. After the home closed in 1945, babies were placed at St Mary’s Mission of Hope. The Babies’ Home at Walkerville…

Cherbourg Aboriginal Settlement

The Cherbourg Aboriginal Settlement was located on the lands of the Wakka Wakka people, near the town of Murgon in south eastern Queensland. The Salvation Army missionary William J Thompson established a mission at Barambah in 1899. Initially it was sponsored by the Ipswich Aboriginal Protection Society. In 1904-1905 the Queensland government took over management…

Lady Musgrave Sanitorium for Sick Children

The Lady Musgrave Sanitorium for Sick Children, in Shorncliffe, was built in 1884 as a convalescent home for children. The Sanitorium did not formally open until 1888. Lady Lucinda Musgrave was the first patroness of the Hospital for Sick Children, and personally secured the land at Shorncliffe which was given in trust by the government….

Red Cross Home, Margate

The Red Cross Home, at Margate Beach, Redcliffe opened around 1945. It was run by the Australian Red Cross and operated as a convalescent home for children from the Mater and Brisbane Hospitals. It also provided emergency care for children while their mothers were in hospital. The home closed in 1975. The Red Cross Home…

Sandgate Maternal and Child Welfare Home

The Sandgate Maternal and Child Welfare Home, at Sandgate, opened in March, 1944 as a government-run convalescent and emergency care home for children. It accommodated children whose mothers were seriously ill and for whose care no other suitable arrangements could be made. From 1901 to 1942, the same building in Flinders Parade, Sandgate, had been…