Archives



The Rocks

‘The Rocks’ was a hostel run by the Country Women’s Association (CWA) for girls attending Albany High School. It opened in September 1950 with 30 girls from the region. In 1969 control of the CWA Hostels passed to the government.

Seaforth Salvation Army Boys’ Reformatory

The Seaforth Salvation Army Boys’ Reformatory was run by the Salvation Army on a large site in Gosnells from 1920 until it closed in 1955. The reformatory was co-located with the Seaforth Boys’ Home (1920-1955), the Seaforth Salvation Army Girls’ Home (1920-1942) and the Seaforth Todders’ Home (1945-1949). Since 1955, the Seaforth site has been…

St Margaret’s Hostel

St Margaret’s Hostel for ‘unmarried mothers and their babies’ was run by the Sisters of Mercy from 1918 as an extension of St Vincent’s Foundling Home in Subiaco. It is probable that babies from St Margaret’s were adopted, fostered or lived at St Vincent’s Foundling Home until they were old enough to be moved to…

St Joseph’s Catholic Orphanage for Girls

St Joseph’s Catholic Orphanage for Girls was established in Perth by the Sisters of Mercy in 1868, for girls from the Poor House. Children who were destitute were accommodated, along with orphans. In 1901, the Home moved to Subiaco and became the St Joseph’s Girls’ Orphanage. An orphanage for Catholic girls was first established in…

Princess Margaret Hospital for Children

Princess Margaret Hospital for Children (PMH) was established in 1909 in Subiaco as the Perth Children’s Hospital. It was common for children who were in out of home ‘care’ to be sent there for medical treatment, and children with intellectual disabilities or serious medical conditions sometimes lived at the hospital. On 10 June 2018 the…

Bishop Hale’s Institution for Native and Half-Caste Children

Bishop Hale’s Institution for Native and Half-Caste Children operated from1871 to 1888 in Perth. In October 1888 this institution closed and the children were sent to be the first residents of the Swan Native and Half-Caste Mission. Bishop Hale was the Anglican Bishop of Perth who, before coming to Perth, had established a ‘Native Institution’…

Keaney House

Keaney House was established in Alma Road, North Perth by the Society of St Vincent de Paul. It was a hostel for up to nine ‘working youths’, with a focus on aftercare for former child migrants from Christian Brothers institutions, mostly from Clontarf. This function ceased in 1965 and the building was later used as…

Collie Boys’ Home

The Collie Boys’ Home was established by the Salvation Army in 1902. It was for boys aged from 4 years, including children who were sent by relatives. Around 1920 the Collie Boys’ Home closed permanently and it is possible that the boys were sent to the Salvation Army’s Boys’ Home in the Perth suburb of…

Salvation Army Industrial School for Girls, Collie

The Salvation Army Industrial School for Girls was established at Collie in 1901. It was an industrial school (reformatory) for ‘senior Protestant girls’ but also admitted girls under 12. When it closed in 1920, the girls were sent to the Seaforth Salvation Army Girls’ Home, Gosnells. The Salvation Army opened an ‘industrial school’ (reformatory) for…

Hollywood Children’s Village, Salvation Army

Hollywood Children’s Village was the new name given in 1965 to the Salvation Army Boys’ Home (in Nedlands). Cottages were built to house the boys from this time. In 1969, after the Salvation Army Girls’ Home, Cottesloe closed, girls were admitted. Children who were wards and private children were admitted until the Village closed in…