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South Australia - Organisation
St John the Baptist Home for Boys (1898 - 1941)
- From
- 1898
- To
- 1941
- Categories
- Catholic, School, Home
- Alternative Names
-
- St John's Home
- The Roman Catholic Boys Reformatory
- Boys Home, Brooklyn Park Inc
- St John's Boys Home
- St John's Boys Town
St John the Baptist Home for Boys was established in 1898 in Brooklyn Park. Run by the Brothers of St John the Baptist and under the control of the government, it took in Catholic boys from the Boys' Reformatory, Magill. In 1941 the Home became a private Catholic reformatory known as St John's Boys Town.
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St John the Baptist Home for Boys opened at Marshall Terrace, Brooklyn Park in 1898. It was established by Father John Healy of the Thebarton parish who had also founded the Order of St John the Baptist in 1892. The concept behind the establishment of the Home was to provide alternative accommodation for Catholic boys committed to the Boys' Reformatory at Magill. The Home was officially proclaimed as a reformatory which meant that although run by the Brothers, it operated under the control of the government welfare department, the State Children's Council and then its successor, the Children's Welfare and Public Relief Department.
Initially nineteen boys were placed at the home but by 1903 the number had increased to 33. In 1919 the Home was incorporated as the Boys Home, Brooklyn Park although it was still referred to as St John the Baptist Home for Boys. It was described as an institution for 'the education and training of uncontrollable boys'.
The number of boys residing in the Home remained consistent until the late 1930s when the government began to place a smaller number of boys. By 1941, only five boys remained in the Home. That year the Home ceased to be a government controlled reformatory and became a privately run Catholic Home. Instead of taking in boys who had been sentenced to a reformatory, the Home aimed to provide shelter for orphaned and other boys in need of care. Arrangements were made for the Brothers of St John the Baptist to take in boys aged 12 years of age or older, while younger boys were sent to the St Joseph's Orphanage at Largs Bay or to the St Vincent de Paul Orphanage at Goodwood. To reflect the Home's change of focus St John the Baptist Home for Boys was renamed St John's Boystown in 1941.
Locations
- 1898 - 1941
- Location - St John the Baptist Home for Boys was situated at Marshall Terrace, Brooklyn Park
Timeline
- 1898 - 1941
- St John the Baptist Home for Boys
- 1941 - 1954
- St John's Boys Town
- Series Title
- Register of Admissions to the Roman Catholic Boy's Reformatory, Brooklyn Park (1895 - 1908)
- Date Range
- 1895 - 1908
- Reference
-
GRG27/12
[State Records of South Australia Series ID]
- Contact
-
Please contact the State Records Research Centre:
Postal Address: GPO Box 464, Adelaide SA 5001
Phone: 08 8343 6800
Website: https://archives.sa.gov.au/general-information/contact-us/contact-us
DETAILS
- Series Title
- Minutes - State Children's Council, later the Children's Welfare and Public Relief Board (1886 - 1965)
- Date Range
- 1886 - 1965
- Reference
-
GRG29/124
[State Records of South Australia Series ID]
- Contact
-
Please contact the State Records Research Centre:
Postal Address: GPO Box 464, Adelaide SA 5001
Phone: 08 8343 6800
Website: https://archives.sa.gov.au/general-information/contact-us/contact-us
DETAILS
- Series Title
- Correspondence files ('SCD' files) - State Children's Department (1887 - 1927)
- Date Range
- 1887 - 1927
- Reference
-
GRG27/1
[State Records of South Australia Series ID]
- Contact
-
Please contact the State Records Research Centre:
Postal Address: GPO Box 464, Adelaide SA 5001
Phone: 08 8343 6800
Website: https://archives.sa.gov.au/general-information/contact-us/contact-us
DETAILS
- Series Title
- Correspondence files ('CW & PRD' and 'SW' files) -Children's Welfare and Public Relief Department and successors (1927 - c. 1979)
- Date Range
- 1927 - 1979
- Reference
-
GRG29/6
[State Records of South Australia Seires ID]
- Contact
-
Please contact the State Records Research Centre:
Postal Address: GPO Box 464, Adelaide SA 5001
Phone: 08 8343 6800
Website: https://archives.sa.gov.au/general-information/contact-us/contact-us
DETAILS
- Series Title
- Miscellaneous correspondence and reports, St John's Boys Town (1893 - 1962)
- Date Range
- 1893 - 1962
- Reference
-
-
- Contact
-
Please contact the Professional Standards Office Records Service of the Catholic Church:
Postal Address: Catholic Diocesan Centre, 39 Wakefield Street, Adelaide SA 5000
Phone: (08) 8210 8275 or 1800 139 020
Email: receptionprofstandards@adelaide.catholic.org.au
Website: https://adelaide.catholic.org.au/our-people/professional-standards/records-service
DETAILS
- Collection Title
- Records of St John's Boys Town (1941? - 1984?)
- Date Range
- 1941 - 1984
- Reference
-
-
- Contact
-
Please contact the Archivist, Salesians of Don Bosco Province Centre Archives:
Postal address: PO Box 264, Ascot Vale VIC 3032
Phone: (03) 9377 6000
Website: https://www.salesians.org.au/contact-us-2
DETAILS
- Series Title
- Former Residents' Folders (1900s - )
- Date Range
- 1900 -
- Reference
-
-
- Contact
-
Please contact the Professional Standards Office Records Service of the Catholic Church:
Postal Address: Catholic Diocesan Centre, 39 Wakefield Street, Adelaide SA 5000
Phone: (08) 8210 8275 or 1800 139 020
Email: receptionprofstandards@adelaide.catholic.org.au
Website: https://adelaide.catholic.org.au/our-people/professional-standards/records-service
DETAILS
- Series Title
- Annual Reports of the State Children's Council and the Children's Welfare and Public Relief Department (1887 - 1960)
- Date Range
- 1887 - 1960
- Reference
-
GRG29/1
[State Records of South Australia Series ID]
- Contact
-
Please contact the State Records Research Centre:
Postal Address: GPO Box 464, Adelaide SA 5001
Phone: 08 8343 6800
Website: https://archives.sa.gov.au/general-information/contact-us/contact-us
DETAILS
- Collection Title
- Records of the Social Welfare Department and predecessors (1849 - c. 1987)
- Date Range
- 1849 - 1987
- Reference
-
GRG29
[State Records of South Australia Agency ID]
- Contact
-
Please contact the State Records Research Centre:
Postal Address: GPO Box 464, Adelaide SA 5001
Phone: 08 8343 6800
Website: https://archives.sa.gov.au/general-information/contact-us/contact-us
DETAILS
The Boys Town Chapel and Hall
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