Archives



Murray-Dwyer Group Homes

Murray-Dwyer Group Homes were run by the Daughters of Charity at Mayfield West. According to a report about the use of the Murray-Dwyer Orphanage site, ‘An Assessment of the Historical and Archaeological Values of BHP Land at Tourle Street, Newcastle’ (1996), the group homes replaced the Murray-Dwyer Orphanage in around 1969, and operated until 1979….

Kingsdene Special School and Residential Service

Kingsdene Special School at Telopea provided schooling and residential care to children aged 10-18. It was run by Anglicare, who described it as being for children and young people with “moderate to severe intellectual disabilities”. It closed in 2010 due to a lack of funding to continue operations. At the time of closure Anglicare stated…

Christ Church Boys League Welfare Bureau

The Christ Church Boys League Welfare Bureau was set up Sydney in 1936 by the Church of England’s Reverend John Hope, through the Home Mission Society, to help boys through the Children’s Court.

Church of England Deaconess Institution

The Church of England Deaconess Institution was a women’s religious order that operated the Deaconess Children’s Home and Domestic Training School, in Balmain, Ashfield and Annandale, from 1893-1914. They also operated Lisgar Training Service for Domestic Servants from 1893-1909 and Lisgar Children’s Home, in Harrison Street Marrickville, from 1914 to 1929, and at a property…

Christ Church St Laurence Welfare Bureau

The Christ Church St Laurence Welfare Bureau ran after-care clinics and employment schemes to assist boys who had been through criminal hearings in the Children’s Court but were discharged. It was part of Christ Church St Laurence, an Anglo-Catholic (Anglican) Church based in Haymarket. It is thought to have operated between 1936 and around 1941.

Margaret Harris Hospital

Margaret Harris Hospital was built at North Parramatta in 1917 by Burnside Presbyterian Homes for Children as a hospital for children who were living in the Homes. It was later replaced by a larger building on Masons Drive, opposite the North Parramatta Burnside Homes. The last patient was discharged on 23 June 1982 and the…

Community of Sisters of the Church of England

The Community of the Sisters of the Church of England, also known as the Kilburn Sisters, is a group of Anglican religious women. They ran the Church of England Orphanage in Burwood, as well as a number of schools. They have been active in Australia since 1892.

Avona Hostel

Avona Hostel, in Glebe, was set up by the Anglican Home Mission Society in 1947. It was for boys aged 15 to 18 who had appeared before the Children’s Court and were described by the Home Mission Society as ‘neglected, homeless or unwanted.’ The hostel held 25 boys. Avona Hostel closed around 1962. Avona Hostel…

Church Rescue Home

The Church Rescue Home was established in Darlinghurst in 1885. It opened as a home for women, though that included girls over the age of 14, who undertook laundry work. The Home moved several times before two buildings, ‘Strathmore’ and ‘Sunnyside’, were purchased in Glebe in 1899. In 1903 an adjacent building ‘Avona’ was purchased,…

United Protestant Association Family Group Homes, Wagga Wagga

In 1983 the Wagga District Council (Riverina District Council) branch of the United Protestant Association closed Gumleigh. The funds from the sale of the property were used to finance two family group homes, one in Heydon Street and one in Grandview Avenue. In 1985 the scheme was phased out and the homes were closed.