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Christian Brothers

The Congregation of Christian Brothers is a world wide religious community within the Catholic Church that was founded by the Irish missionary and teacher Edmund Rice (1762-1844) in 1802. Their main focus is social justice and the evangelisation and education of youth and they have run hundreds of schools and institutions across the world. The…

Roman Catholic Orphan School

The Roman Catholic Orphan School at Parramatta was established on the 8 March 1844 and run by a committee. On the 31 March 1859, it was taken over by the Good Shepherd Sisters, later known as Sisters of the Good Samaritan. It was Australia’s first purpose built orphanage for Catholic children and was funded by…

Rosemount

Rosemount was established in Dulwich Hill in 1976 by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd. It was a community based residential programme for teenage girls, aged between 13 to 16 years. The girls attended local schools or were employed in the community. Rosemount closed in 1981.

Croagh Patrick Home

The Croagh Patrick Home was established in 1929 in Orange, in central western New South Wales. From 1929 to 1969 the home was operated as a boys’ home by the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul. In 1969, the operation of the orphanage was taken over by the Sisters of Mercy, Bathurst Congregation….

New South Wales Baptist Homes Trust

New South Wales Baptist Homes Trust was established in 1944 to provide services to the aged and children. The Trust ran Leith House, Ruhamah, Carisbrook, Thorington and Karingal Children’s Home. In 1986, its name was changed to Baptist Community Services to capture the organisation’s expanding ministry.

St Margaret’s Home for Unwed Mothers

St Margaret’s Hospital was established in Strawberry Hills [Surry Hills] in 1894 as a lying-in home, by a religious community led by Gertrude Abbott. It grew and became a maternity hospital, lying in home and provided midwifery nursing training. In 1910, St Margaret’s moved to Darlinghurst. From 1937 was run by the Sisters of St…

South Sydney Women’s Hospital

South Sydney Women’s Hospital was a maternity hospital that provided midwifery and maternity care, particularly to poor and unmarried women. It was founded in Newtown (Camperdown) 1905 by George and Louisa Ardill and the Sydney Rescue Work Society and had been the Home of Hope for Friendless and Fallen Women. It trained midwives and was…

Queen Victoria Hospital for Women and Babies

The Queen Victoria Hospital for Women and Babies in Annandale was founded by George Lewis in 1895 and run by Matron Attenborough from 1896 until 1924. It catered to both married and single mothers. Many children of single mothers were adopted from the Hospital. In 1930 it temporarily moved to Herbert Street, Dulwich Hill before…

Mater Misericordiae Hospital

The Mater Misericordiae Hospital for Women and Children was a maternity hospital established at Crows Nest by the Sisters of Mercy, North Sydney Congregation, in 1906. In 1910 the Mater moved to North Sydney. It cared for mothers who were unmarried, and destitute before and after the birth of their babies. Babies for adoption were…

Seventh Day Adventist Adoption Agency

Seventh Day Adventist Adoption Agency provided adoption services in New South Wales until 1993. Its records are held by the Department of Community Services’ Adoption Information Service. The files relating to adoptions arranged by the Seventh Day Adventist Adoption Agency, which ceased operating in 1993, were transferred to the Department of Community Services’ Adoption Information…