Records of St Catherine's Orphanage

This collection contains records relating to St Catherine’s Orphanage from the period 1961-1990. Note that while the Orphanage opened in 1931, the whereabouts of records from before 1961 are not known.

This collection contains:

• Index of Residents, 1961-1990. It is arranged alphabetically by the surname of the resident, and includes the following information: name; date of birth; date of admission; and names of siblings.
• Advice of Admission forms, 1971-1990. These are carbon copies of forms completed for the Commonwealth Department of Social Services advising that a child has been admitted to a home. The forms include: name of child; date of birth; date of admission and name of home being admitted to.
• Advice of Discharge forms, 1971-1989. These are carbon copies of forms completed for the Commonwealth Department of Social Services advising that a child has been discharged from the care of the home. The forms include: name of child; date of birth; date of discharge; and discharge details.
• Personal files, 1970-1991. The files contain information about residents such as social workers’ reports; medical reports; school reports; and personal information including date of birth and dates of admission and discharge.

Access Conditions

For access to these records please contact Family Spirit. Access to information is restricted to the person to whom the information relates, or to an immediate relative, who can prove their relationship to that person.