The Aboriginal Girls’ Hostel was established in Broome in 1970. It was initially established as a hostel for girls and unmarried mothers travelling to Broome from nearby missions. However, it was soon dedicated solely to children aged 0 – 14 years old, some of whom were state wards, and women escaping domestic violence. The Hostel…
The Djurain Mission Children’s Home opened in 1950 on the grounds of the Djurain Mission (also known as Jureen Mission, Kellerberrin Mission, and North Wollundra Mission), near Kellerberrin. The mission was run by the United Aborigines Mission (UAM), who established it in 1939. The Children’s Home was established in order to keep children separate from…
The Kalgoorlie Child Welfare Cottage was established in the 1930s by the Child Welfare Department. It provided temporary care to children from the Kalgoorlie area awaiting transport to other child welfare or juvenile justice institutions, children on remand awaiting court appearances, and children, sometimes accompanied by their mothers, experiencing family emergencies. The Cottage was under…
Kindra Cottage was a family group home established by the Salvation Army in Bassendean in late 1970. It provided accommodation for up to 8 children aged between approximately 7 and 14 years old, and was run by a married couple acting as ‘cottage parents’. Kindra closed in 1975, following a decline in the number of…
The Forest Farm Community was an initiative of the New South Wales Homeless Children’s Association. In 1981, the NSW Lands Department donated a 160 acre reserve of land to the Association. It was at Mangrove Mountain, near Gosford, on the central coast north of Sydney. The Association had ambitious plans for the Forest Farm Community…
The Melbourne Benevolent Asylum opened in 1851. Due to a lack of other institutions in the colony at the time it was established, the Benevolent Asylum initially accommodated a wide range of people in need. This included children, until 1857 when children were transferred to the Melbourne Orphan Asylum at its new site in Emerald…
Koinonia was a maternity home (also known as Life Life Home for Unmarried Mothers) in Graceville run by the Methodist Church. It opened in around 1967 and had closed by 1978 when the property was sold by the Methodist Church. Koinonia was located in a substantial building called Glenrae in Bank Road, Graceville which was…
Madonna House was a “rest home for mothers and children in necessitous circumstances” located in Scarborough. It was run by the Catholic Daughters of Australia, under the management of the Sisters of St Joseph. The Catholic Daughters of Australia (CDA) had run holiday homes for children at Sandgate from 1930 until 1950. In 1950, the…
The Presbyterian Home for Mothers and Babies (also known as Koolkuna) was located in Redcliffe. The Home opened in around 1968 and continued to operate until around 1974. After it closed, it was converted by the Presbyterian Church into a Family Care Home, and later a refuge to provide emergency care and support to women…
The Margaret Hallstrom Home for Unmarried Mothers opened in Marion Street, Leichhardt in 1968 by the Central Methodist Mission. The exact closing date of the Margaret Hallstrom Home for Unmarried Mothers is unknown, but it is believed to have closed around 1977. The need for a new Home for unmarried pregnant women was identified in…
Dec 18, 2024
Nov 15, 2024
