The Chief Secretary’s Department of Western Australia was the new title given on 16 April 1924 to the Colonial Secretary’s Office. It was responsible for a number of varied functions including Harbour and Lights, Gaols, Registrar General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Astronomical Services and Racing. By 1980, the Department’s responsibilities were limited to Prisons,…
Carrolup was established in 1915 as a government-run ‘native settlement’. The first Superintendent was from the Australian Aborigines Mission (AAM), which also provided volunteer staff. Aboriginal children were sent to Carrolup from different parts of the State. When Carrolup closed in June 1922, all residents were sent to the Moore River Native Settlement. Carrolup was…
The Australian Aborigines’ Mission dates back to around 1894, in New South Wales. It was originally known as the La Perouse Aborigines’ Christian Endeavour Society, established in June 1894. The interdenominational Christian society was active in the Sydney beachside area of La Perouse, establishing a mission to work with the Aboriginal people, and opening its…
Dulhi Gunyah Orphanage was run by the Western Australian State Council of the Australian Aborigines Mission from 1909 to 1918. It was a children’s Home rather than an Orphanage and was set up to admit Aboriginal girls under the age of 14 years and boys under eight even if they weren’t orphans. The children came…
Run by The Salvation Army, the Boulder Rescue Home provided an alternative to gaol or an industrial school for girls and young women who were charged by the Police or Children’s Courts from 1904 to around 1914. Children charged with neglect, vulnerable young women and people committed for offences all seem to have been taken…
The Salvation Army Girls’ Home, Kalgoorlie ran from 1904 to at least 1924 and possibly to 1930. Non-aboriginal girls were also admitted in later years. Newspaper accounts suggest that the purpose of the Home was to train the girls for domestic service. When the Home closed, the girls were transferred to the Salvation Army Girls’…
The Victoria Hospital for Infectious Diseases began as ‘little more than a tent outpost’ in response to an outbreak of smallpox in 1893. It was located in the Perth suburb of Subiaco (later known as Shenton Park). Children with infectious diseases were regularly admitted during the early life of the hospital. In 1938, ‘after many…
A Home for Girls was run by the Orphanage Committee of the Anglican Diocese of Perth from 1883. Funds were raised and a small cottage was built near the Swan Boys’ Home. The Home was for girls of all ages whose backgrounds disqualified them for admission to the Perth Girls’ Orphanage in the eyes of…
‘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.
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…
Dec 18, 2024
Nov 15, 2024
