Berry Street Heritage Collection

The Berry Street Heritage Collection dates back to around 1877. The records relate to the operation of Berry Street and its predecessor agencies. The collection includes client records, admission records, visitors’ book from Sutherland Homes reunion, press cuttings, Berry Street publications and photographs.

Access Conditions

Former clients of Berry Street, Sutherland Homes and Lisa Lodge Girls’ Hostel and their relatives can access personal information in the collection in accordance with Berry Street’s Access to Heritage Archives policy.

Records

Berry Street Annual Inmates Lists 1936 – 1966

There are four handwritten hard cover registers in this series and they contain, in total, 405 pages and 6614 entries. This series records details of children and adults admitted to care. Details recorded are dates of admission, name of the child, date of birth, mother’s name and sometimes address, length of stay and religion.

Berry Street Admission Records 1940 – 1974

There are ten hard cover binders housing, in total, 3520 loose handwritten pages and 3537 entries. This series records details of children and adults admitted to care. Details recorded are the name of the child, the name of the mother, the mother’s address, sometimes reason for admittance, religion, whether the child was baptised and the mother’s signature.

Berry Street Admission of Children & Claims for Child Endowment & Family Allowance 1973-1981

There are limited copies of records that were sent to the Commonwealth Department of Social Services in the 1970s when a child was admitted to or discharged from Berry Street’s care. The admission forms provide the “full name and address of person or authority last receiving endowment for the above child (i.e. Parent, Guardian or Institution”) and the discharge forms say “Full name of person or institution to whom child was discharged”. These records are incomplete and while there are records up to 1981 in the collection, most of them are from 1973-1974.

Berry Street Foster Mothers Address Book 1930’s – 1940’s

This is a single handwritten hard back book with the contents organised in alphabetical order. The book contains 41 pages and 237 entries. This series contains details of children who were fostered. Details recorded are name of the child, the name and address of the foster carer and sometimes details of the outcome of the foster care arrangement.

Berry Street Death Registration Book 1877 – 1913

This is a single handwritten hard cover book. The book contains only 37 pages of recorded information and, in total, there are 477 entries. This series contains details of children who have died whilst in care. Details recorded are the name of the child, date of death, cause of death and signature of the medical officer.

Sutherland Homes Diamond Valley Hostel Admission Records 1979 – 1991

This is a single handwritten soft cover book. The book contains, in total, 101 pages of recorded information and, in total, there are 240 entries. This series contains details of children admitted to care. Details recorded are the name of the child, date of birth, ward number, date of admission, reason for admission, date of discharge from care, name of the person or organisation to which the child was discharged and comments relating to the child whilst in care.

Sutherland Homes Children’s Registers 1908-1989

There are eleven hard cover registers in this series. The earlier volumes contain the names of children and later volumes include information such as the names of parents, address, dates of admission, name of the person or organisation to which the child was discharged and comments relating to the child whilst in care.

Photographs and Scrapbooks

• Grey album – Beaconsfield Babies’ Home, 1922-1937 (Most photos from 1922-1923, less than ten photos from c.1937)
  The photos in this album depict children and nurses at Berry Street’s Beaconsfield property. Common scenes include nurses holding babies, toddlers eating at tables, and scenes from around the Beaconsfield property. Some photos include captions. The album includes a typed index containing the names of children, where available, and estimated dates. This album was likely put together by a Berry Street Mothercraft nurse.
• Black scrapbook – Berry Street, 1929-1960
  The scrapbook includes newspaper clippings about Berry Street (and its predecessor agencies) and photographs. Many of the newspaper clippings and most of the photographs contain children that were in ‘care’. Some of the newspaper articles identify children by name. At the front of the scrapbook there is a typed index with the names of children from the newspaper articles.
• Green scrapbook – Berry Street, 1956-1977
  The scrapbook includes photographs and newspaper articles from Berry Street. It also includes a typed index with the names of children from the newspaper articles. Handwritten notes on this index name a few of the children in photos.

Adoption Records

In 2007 records of adoptions arranged by Berry Street and its predecessors were transferred to the custody of the Victorian government. Access to these records is available through the Victorian government’s adoption information service.

Other records in this collection include:

• Selina Sutherland’s Bible
• Reflections and Memories – Visitors’ book from Sutherland Homes reunion
• Berry Street publications, such as Childcare pamphlets and Berry Street Foundling Home Cookery Book
• Annual reports from Berry Street (and its predecessors) and Sutherland Homes

Finding Aids

The documentation and management of the Heritage Collection is organised in two Excel spreadsheets which cover, separately, records from the pre-1970s period and records from the 1980s onwards.

Post-1980 client records are stored offsite with an accredited records storage provider.

In 2015, Berry Street commenced a project to organise and digitise its photographic collection.