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Tardun Farm School

Tardun Farm School was run by the Christian Brothers from 1928 as a Home where boys would learn farm skills. After World War II, Tardun housed British and Maltese child migrants aged from about 12 to 16 years as well as boys who were wards of state. Tardun Farm School closed in 1967 but remained…

Swan Homes

Swan Homes, in Middle Swan was created from a merger of two Anglican children’s homes in 1943. The Perth Girls’ Orphanage was evacuated to Swan Boys’ Orphanage at Middle Swan during World War II, and the two children’s homes merged into one institution. During this time, the type of accommodation changed from dormitories to large…

Salvation Army Girls’ Home, Cottesloe

The Salvation Army Girls’ Home, Cottesloe was established in 1918. Girls aged 3 to 16 years and pre-school aged boys were accommodated in either ‘Kia-Ora’ or ‘Byanda’. During World War II, the Home relocated to Kellerberrin in 1942, and returned to Cottesloe in 1944. In 1969 the girls were transferred to Withnell House, Mt Lawley,…

Salvation Army Boys’ Home

The Salvation Army Boys’ Home, Nedlands (West Subiaco) was established in 1918. From at least the 1930s, boys aged under 6 to 16 years were admitted, including boys who were wards and private children. In 1965, the Boys’ Home was renamed the Hollywood Children’s Village as the Home moved from dormitory to cottage-style accommodation. The…

St Vincent’s Foundling Home

St Vincent’s Foundling Home was run by the Sisters of Mercy from 1914 on the same site as the St Joseph’s Girls’ Orphanage in Subiaco. It housed infants and children up to six years old who were both wards and ‘privately placed’. Once they turned six, girls were sent to St Joseph’s Girls’ Orphanage and…

St Joseph’s Girls’ Orphanage

St Joseph’s Girls’ Orphanage was established in Subiaco in 1901. It was run by the Sisters of Mercy, for girls aged up to 16 years who were placed there by government authorities or who were private admissions. From 1947, child migrants from Britain and Malta were sent to St Joseph’s. It closed in 1971 and…

Perth Girls’ Orphanage

Perth Girls’ Orphanage was established as the ‘Protestant Orphanage’ in 1868 with 8 children, including one boy. It operated in a building near the Causeway, for children of all denominations aged 2-14 years. Children who were not orphans were also admitted. The Home was run by the The Committee until 1889, the Orphanages’ Committee until…

Parkerville Children’s Home

The Parkerville Children’s Home continued the Waifs’ Home, Parkerville from 1909. It was run by the Community of the Sisters of the Church from 1909 to 1925 and from 1925 to 2005 by the Parkerville Children’s Home Incorporated. Over time, Parkerville developed a range of youth care and family services, including non-residential programs. In 2005…

Methodist Children’s Home

The Methodist Children’s Home opened in 1922 on a property in Sussex Street, East Victoria Park. It was the first child care institution that was run by the Methodist Homes for Children, which was part of the Methodist Church in Western Australia. Children of all ages who were placed by family or who were wards…

Holy Child Orphanage

The Holy Child Orphanage was established in Broome by the Sisters of St John of God in 1941. It was a Home for school-aged Aboriginal girls and young women up to 20 years of age placed by relatives or the Department of Native Affairs. Holy Child closed in December 1962. The Holy Child Orphanage was…