The Margaret Hallstrom Home for Unmarried Mothers opened in Marion Street, Leichhardt in 1968 by the Central Methodist Mission. The exact closing date of the Margaret Hallstrom Home for Unmarried Mothers is unknown, but it is believed to have closed around 1977.
The need for a new Home for unmarried pregnant women was identified in 1964 by LifeLine. The Central Methodist Mission acknowledged the need for more support, and said it would build a new Home as soon as it had the funds. It was reported in 1967 that “The Wesley Women’s Fellowship has taken on a mammoth job of raising $2500 per year to buy and equip a home for unmarried mothers…The home has already been purchased…”. In 1968 the Home was opened by the Central Methodist Mission.
Upon the death of his wife, Margaret Hallstrom, in 1968, Sir Edward John Lees Hallstrom donated $22,000 to the Central Methodist Mission to cover the costs of establishing the Home. The Home was originally named Pinaroo, but was renamed in dedication of Lady Hallstrom who died shortly after opening the building.
The Rev. Alan Walker, Superintendent of the Central Methodist Mission reported in the Sydney Morning Herald “The gift will cover payments on a large home at Leichhardt at present being used to care for 14 unmarried mothers…The home is to be dedicated to Lady Hallstrom at a ceremony on Saturday when it will be officially named the Margaret Hallstrom Home.”
A former staff member of the Home shared that in the mid 1970s, “Social workers came and went and the girls were mostly from the country. They attended Crown St Women’s Hospital.”
It is not known exactly when the Home closed, though it is thought to have closed around 1977.
From
1968
To
1977?
1968 - 1977?
The Margaret Hallstrom Home for Unmarried Mothers was located on Marion Street, Leichhardt, New South Wales (Building State unknown)