Records of the Convent of the Good Shepherd, "The Pines"

The Records of the Convent of the Good Shepherd, “The Pines” is held by the Good Shepherd Archive in Abbotsford, Victoria. The collection contains various records relating to ‘The Pines’, including admission and discharge registers, individual files, some photographs of the site and building.

Access Conditions

Care leavers (and their families) wanting to find information about their time in care, or access personal files can contact Good Shepherd Archive.

All requests for personal information must be accompanied by some form of personal identification such as a copy of your birth certificate or a copy of your current driver’s licence. If you are applying for information about another person, their permission is required. If you are applying for information about a person who is deceased, proof of death is required. Proof of your relationship to the deceased person is also required.

Records

Records in the Good Shepherd Archive’s collection relating to the Convent of the Good Shepherd “The Pines” include:

• Admission and Discharge Registers (1941 – 1974)
  Includes name, birth date, and dates of arrival and departure. The registers do not indicate whether girls were Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal
• Individual Files (1942 – 1974)
  More than 560 individual files relating to girls resident in the Home.
• Photographs (1942? – 1974?)
  The photographs include photographs of the building and staff of The Pines, but no photographs of the girls in care.
• Register of Baptisms and Confirmations (c.1942 – 1974)
• Daily Average Book of Persons in Care (1969 – 1974)
• School Health Branch cards (1964 – 1972)
• Claims for additional Child Endowment (1973 – 1974)
• Advice of Discharge forms (October 1973 – January 1975)

The Good Shepherd Archive also has contextual information in records including history books and the news-clipping collection.