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The Menzies Home for Boys

The Menzies Home for Boys was the new name given in 1943 to the Minton Boys’ Home. The Menzies Home for Boys was for “neglected” boys under the age of eighteen who had been recommended by the Children’s Welfare Department. The Home was often referred to as ‘The Home on the Hill’. The organisation also…

St Vincent de Paul Child and Family Services

St Vincent de Paul Child and Family Services came into being in 1992. It was formerly known as St Vincent de Paul’s Children’s Home. St Vincent de Paul Child and Family Services came under the control of MacKillop Family Services in 1997.

Wesley Central Mission

Wesley Central Mission came into being in 1893, as the response of Wesleyan Methodists in Victoria to the severe economic depression and associated inner-city poverty of the early 1890s. In 1977, with the creation of the Uniting Church in Australia, its name changed to Wesley Central Parish Mission. Wesley Central Mission came into being in…

Gordon Homes for Boys

The Gordon Homes for Boys opened in Highett in 1951. Formerly, services had been provided at the Gordon Institute in Melbourne. The Homes accommodated boys aged between 5 and 14 in cottage homes. In 1969, the Home became the Gordon Homes for Boys and Girls. The Gordon Homes for Boys were located on the Nepean…

St Anthony’s Home

St Anthony’s Home was the new name given in 1943 to St Anthony’s Children’s Home, in Kew. It was run the Sisters of St Joseph, and accommodated boys aged between 3 and 6. In 1976, the Home closed and services were transferred to St Anthony’s Family Service, in Footscray. In November 1955, St Anthony’s Home…

St Vincent de Paul Boys’ Home

The St Vincent de Paul Boys’ Home was renamed from St Vincent de Paul Orphanage for Boys in 1967. It was run by the Christian Brothers and located in South Melbourne. The St Vincent de Paul Boys’ Home closed in 1997. Since closing, the St Vincent de Paul Boys’ Home has been the subject of…

St Vincent de Paul Children’s Home

St Vincent de Paul Children’s Home was renamed from St Vincent de Paul Girls’ Orphanage in 1962, and was run by the Sisters of Mercy. In 1966, the Home relocated from South Melbourne to Black Rock where children were housed in family group homes. In 1992, its name changed to St Vincent de Paul Child…

Care of Children Committee, United Kingdom

The Care of Children Committee, chaired by Dame Myra Curtis, reported to the British House of Commons in 1946. The Committee had investigated Children’s Homes in the United Kingdom and its landmark Report (commonly known as the Curtis Report), focused on the ‘remote and impersonal’ way of ‘caring’ for children. It recommended significant changes to…

Melbourne Legacy

Legacy is a national organisation that was established in 1923 to assist men returned from the Great War and their families. Initially established to improve business prospects for returned soldiers, in 1925 Legacy’s focus became the provision of assistance to the children of deceased servicemen. In the state of Victoria, Melbourne Legacy ran a number…

The Menzies Home for Children

The Menzies Home for Children was the new name given in October 1961 to the former The Menzies Home for Boys. From this time Menzies allowed girls to be admitted and increasingly housed children in family group homes in the Frankston and Dandenong areas. The organisation became Menzies Inc. in 2000. The Menzies Home for…