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Why are Disability Homes included on Find & Connect? The Find & Connect web resource contains information about many children’s Homes and institutions for people with intellectual and physical disabilities. These types of Homes are part of the history of the Forgotten Australians – in all states and territories, there were crossovers between children’s institutions and disability institutions. Children with disabilities were commonly placed in children’s institutions (source: ‘You can’t forget things like that’, p.8.) A number of children with no disabilities found themselves placed in disability institutions. Sometimes a child’s disability was the reason they were ‘voluntarily’ placed in ‘care’ by their parents, who felt unable to care for them (source: “

Understanding the background of state and territory welfare systems can make it easier to find records. For example, in South Australia there was a centralised government department that was usually involved in organising a child’s placement in ‘care’ so it makes sense to start with government records; in Victoria, until the 1950s many placements were likely to be arranged more informally by churches or charities (known as “voluntary” or “private placements”). Records may not be held by government archives, but with the past provider, or organisation that holds their records. Australian Capital Territory | New South Wales | Northern Territory | Queensland | South Australia |

These publications have been written by members of the Find & Connect team during the course of the project. Online Resources Find & Connect web resource project, ‘Consultation Paper on Records and recordkeeping practices: submission from the Find & Connect web resource’, 17 October 2016.  http://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/getattachment/5e644869-60f0-4b33-8075-4b6860b4d771/Find-and-Connect-web-resource Find & Connect web resource project, ‘Response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse Consultation Paper: Redress and Civil Litigation’, 2 March 2015. http://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/getattachment/4040fd14-36d5-

Find & Connect is for people who spent time in an orphanage or children’s home in Australia between 1920 and 1990. Our support services can help you find family, access records, or with any issues that stem from being in care as a child. We are independent of any past providers, and do not hold any records ourselves. We are not affiliated with any record-holders or other organisations related to historical child welfare. We can help you: access personalised support and counselling obtain personal records where possible, trace your history and help you understand why you were placed into care connect with other services and s

This is a photograph of boys gardening at Werrington Park. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph of the original main building at Werrington Park. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice.

This is a photograph of a school building at Werrington Park. It shows a long weatherboard building with multiple entrances, and small brick steps leading up to a narrow porch. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph the interior of a workshop at Werrington Park. It shows a large building with a few benches against the walls, as well as a drill press and a bench grinder. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph showing a boy milking a cow at Werrington Park. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph of a new accommodation building at Werrington Park. It shows “Coallee”, a large two storey brick building. A copy of this appeared in the Child Welfare Department of New South Wales Annual Report of 1962 with the caption “”Coallee”, the new cottage at Werrington Park”. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice.

This is a photograph showing Thornbury Lodge and it’s front gardens. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph showing three girls sitting on the edge of a fountain in the garden at Thornbury Lodge.  This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph of a woman and children on the porch of Thornbury Lodge. It shows a woman carrying a toddler, with several other young children standing around her. The children are all wearing matching shirts and overalls. There are many potted plants on the porch, sitting underneath an unreadable metal plaque. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is an image of a postcard promoting the United Protestant Association’s ‘Rathgar’ Home. It shows a large, white, two-storey house with formal front gardens behind a low brick fence. There is a sign on the balcony that reads “United Protestant Association Rathgar Home”, and there is gold text on the top of the postcard that reads “Rathgar Founders Home U.P.A”. This image is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice.

This is a photograph of the dining room at the Metropolitan Children’s Court. It shows a room with several long tables with bench seating. Decorative pot-plants have been placed on each table. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice.

This is a photograph of a dormitory at the Metropolitan Children’s Court. It shows a long room with beds lined up along both walls. Along part of one wall are small cubicles, also containing beds but with more privacy than the others. There is no other furniture in the room. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice.

This is a photograph of boys playing basketball at the Metropolitan Boys’ Shelter. I tshows eight boys playing basketball in a courtyard surrounded one two sides by multiple phases of brick buildings. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice.

This is a photograph showing two boys and a woman in what appears to be the kitchen at the Metropolitan Boys’ Shelter.  This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice.

This is a photograph of boys watching television at the Metropolitan Boys’ Shelter. It shows approximately 20 boys sitting on dining chairs in what appears to be a dining room or recreation room facing towards a television mounted on the wall. A male staff member is standing off to one side. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice.

This is a photograph of boys making benches at the Metropolitan Boys’ Shelter. It shows approximately 17 teenage boys sitting in a courtyard finishing the construction of benches. There is a staff member watching them. The courtyard is surrounded on at least two sides by a two-storey brick building. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph showing girls marching single-file into the courtyard at Hay. They are being watched by three staff members. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph of girls at Hay doing laundry. It shows three girls washing linens – two at sinks and one pulling a towel out of a boiler. There is a pile of sheets or towels on the floor nearby. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph of girls at Hay doing exercises. It shows nine girls standing on a lawn in exercise poses, with one girl at the front facing the rest of the group, presumably leading the exercise. Two staff members are standing off to the side and watching. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph of the entrance to the Institution for Girls, Hay. It shows a low brick building with an large door set into an imposing stone archway. There are flowers lining the gravel driveway, and a sign behind the white paling fence which reads “Institution for Girls Hay”. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph of girls at Hay institution mowing the lawn. It shows four girls in purple dresses using push-mowers to mow a small grass courtyard. They are being supervised by a woman in a white shirt and dark skirt, and are surrounded by low brick buildings. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice.

This is a photograph of girls at Hay on morning parade. It shows nine girls in purple dresses lined up under the verandah of a long, single-storey building. There is a group of women standing on the lawn in front of them, looking at the girls. There are garden beds filled with poppies between the paths in front of the building. A similar version of this image appeared in the Child Welfare Department of New South Wales Annual Report of 1966 with the caption “Institution for Girls, Hay. Morning parade for the nine girls in residence.”

This is a photograph of the front of Royleston. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph showing a group of boys from Royleston watching television. They appear to be standing in a dimly lit room watching a television that is mounted high on a wall. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph of boys from Royleston on an outing on a boat. It shows a group of boys and several adults sitting and standing on a boat moored next to a pier. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph of boys from Royleston playing tug-of-war with adults. The group appears to be on an outing from the Home, and are in a field surrounded by bushland. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph of boys in the courtyard at Royleston. It shows seven boys sitting on or near benches along the side of an empty, concrete courtyard. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice.

This is a photograph of the dining room at Royleston. It shows a room tightly packed with small tables each surrounded by six dining chairs. Most of the tables have yellow and white checkered tablecloths, cups, plates, and cutlery on them. There is an upright piano at the end of the room. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice.

This is a photograph showing children and adults outside the Bidura school room. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice.

This is a photograph of five young children playing on a climbing frame at Bidura. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice.

This is a photograph showing the front of Bidura. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph of the dining room at Bidura. It shows a room with tables of varying sizes each covered with tablecloths, some with ‘Bidura’ embroidered on them. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice.

This is a photograph of a dormitory at Bidura. It shows a high-ceilinged room with at least five tightly packed beds with pastel coloured sheets. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice.

This is a photograph of children in an outdoor school lesson at Bidura. It shows a group of approximately 15 children sitting on chairs on a lawn in front of a small weatherboard building. A woman is sitting in front of the group. This image appeared in the Child Welfare Department of New South Wales Annual Report of 1963 with the caption “Lessons in the sun at Bidura School”.

This is a photograph of Keelong Remand Centre. It shows a wide complex of brick buildings with angular roofs sitting on the top of a hill. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph of the Female School of Industry. It shows a woman and two girls standing in front of a large stone building. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. Another version of this photograph was published in the album ‘Photographs of Public and Other Buildings, &c. photographed by Charles Pickering’, and is part of the collection of the State Library of New South Wales.

May Villa was established at Carlingford, or Dundas, by the State Children’s Relief Board in 1919. It was first a home for around 30 girls defined in 1919 as ‘feeble-minded’, but in 1920 it became a home for primary school aged boys who were also defined as ‘feeble-minded’. It had a special school attached to the premises and in its early years the teachers were trained in the Montessori method. In 1975, May Villa began operating as a Residential Care Unit for primary school-age boys. May Villa was closed by the end of 1983. The State Children’s Relief Board Annual Report of 1919 reported the establishment of May Villa as a specialist institution that was designed to treat school-aged girls who were considered ‘feeble-minded’ or ‘mentally defective’. These were terms used to describe people who were considered intellectually disabled, but could also mean the children had behavioural problems. In 1920 May Villa became a home for school-aged boys. In its first year May Villa had a

This is a photograph of the old Home building at May Villa. It shows a late 1800s style brick cottage with a partially enclosed verandah, and rear timber extensions. There are large brick buildings visible next to it. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph showing boys playing in the playground at May Villa. It shows approximately 25 boys in uniforms of blue shirts and grey shorts playing on swings, monkey bars, climbing frames, and on a slide. Another similar photograph appeared in the the Child Welfare Department of New South Wales Annual Report of 1967, with the caption “”May Villa” boys show improved ability and co-ordination on the climbing equipment”. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice.

This is a photograph showing a group of boys and adults walking down steps to the May Villa playground. Another similar photograph appeared in the Child Welfare Department of New South Wales Annual Report of 1964, with the caption “Boys coming out to play at May Villa, with the new school building in the background”. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice.

The Young Christian Workers’ Movement Hostel, Hawthorn, was established in 1948. It was located in a house known as ‘The Terricks’ at the corner of Paterson and Oxley Road. It offered temporary housing to youth migrants from Britain. The Hostel closed in 1955. According to Good British Stock (1999), the YCW contacted Immigration Minister Arthur Calwell in 1948, requesting advice about a scheme to immigrate young workers to Australia from overseas. The YCW were planning on purchasing a building to house 25 to 30 young men, for a period of around 3 months, with a view to them finding employment and accommodation placements in private homes. The YCW were provided with government funding in 1949 to purchase the property known as The Terricks, a guesthouse in the suburb of Hawthorn (p.130). The YCW corresponded with the Commonwealth government in 1949 about bringing Baltic and Maltese workers to Australia to stay at the Hawthorn hostel and in 1949-50 FCW Director Fr FW Lomba

The Young Christian Workers’ Movement (YCW) was established in the late 1930s in Melbourne. It was part of a worldwide YCW movement, founded in Belgium in 1912. By 1950, YCW groups had been established in 60  countries. The group established in Melbourne was originally for boys – there was also a National Catholic Girls Movement, and the two merged in 1959 (Australian Young Christian Workers, 2024). The Melbourne YCW Priests Committee was established in 1939 and in 1941 the Melbourne YCW was recognised as an official Catholic Action organisation for young working men aged between 14 and 18 in the Archdiocese of Melbourne. The 1950s was a period of dramatic expansion and consolidation for the Australian YCW, with the movement spreading across the country and expanding its services, sporting and social activities and real estate portfolio (Australian Young Christian Workers, 2024). The YCW was briefly involved with child migration to Victoria, conducting a program to nominate you