Minute Books, Townsville Orphanage

The Minute Books, Series ID 5146, relate to the Townsville Orphanage. They record the minutes of meetings of the Townsville Orphanage Committee. The contents of the four books varies from year to year, however they generally record meeting attendees, summaries of correspondence received since the last meeting (including applications for admission), total numbers of staff and children in the orphanage, numbers of children who have been hired out, notable events including outbreaks of illness, and financial information.

Access Conditions

Books in this series are open access after 100 years from date of the last entry. For access to open records, or to apply for access to restricted records, please contact Queensland State Archives.

Records

The committee minutes from 1885 to 1906 record the date, who was present, any general correspondence and occasional information on financial accounts. General correspondence can include references to applications made by parents for their children to be admitted to the orphanage.

The committee minute book for 1917 to 1924 records the date the meeting was held, those present, approval of the previous minutes, any significant inward or outward correspondence and information on trade accounts.

Significant items from the Matron’s Report have been recorded and this includes details such as the total number staff and children and details of any sickness which had affected the children.

Statistics for boys and girls are also given for the number of new admittances, the number of returns from hire and boarder situations and the number who were hired or boarded out over the month.

The Caretaker’s Report provides details of the orphanage’s dairy production, and general stock details. When conducted, the Inspector’s Reports were also discussed in the minutes providing details of both staff and students.