According to NSW Corrective Services, St Heliers was part of the original St Heliers property, which was settled by Lieutenant Colonel Henry Dumaresq and named after a town on the Isle of Jersey. The property passed through several owners before being bought by the State Government in 1945. It was used as a child welfare institution until its closure in 1986.
There were at least two, and later, five 'cottages' as St Heliers, each run by a married couple, including 'Allyn' and 'Paterson' cottages. In 1958, the Annual Report of the Child Welfare Department described the training regime at St. Heliers', as being divided into three 'parties':
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According to a Child Welfare Department Annual Report of 1966 St Heliers was 'a training school for the more amenable delinquent boys'. It was a working farm:
'In addition to Hereford cattle, St Heliers has a Guernsey herd and dairy, Corriedale sheep, a piggery, poultry run, and several acres under cultivation, providing occupational training in many aspects of rural work. '
In 1973, changes in ideas about working with 'delinquent' boys, and the growing need for accommodation for state wards, forced the Department of Youth and Community Services (YACS) to change St Heliers entirely. It was converted in November 1973 to a care facility for boys and girls, housing 92 children.
The property was purchased by Corrective Services from the Department of Youth and Community Services in 1988 and opened as an adult low security Correctional Centre in September 1989.
Last updated:
26 July 2023
Cite this: http://www.findandconnect.gov.au/guide/nsw/NE00433
First published by the Find & Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
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