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The Victoria Convalescent Home was a convalescent home for children, women, and men who had been discharged from hospital. It was run by a management committee, and received funding through government grants and donations from the public. It opened in Granton, Tasmania in 1891, and moved to New Town, Hobart, in 1895 before moving again to its final location in Lindisfarne in 1900. The home provided convalescent care to children with polio, as well as to sick children who it was believed would benefit from the quiet, rural location. It had associations with and received support from a number of charitable organisations, including the Ministering Children’s League, Hobart City Mission, the Tasmanian Society for the Care of Crippled Children, and the Queen’s Fund. Following the construction of Wingfield House in 1938, the Victoria Convalescent Home stopped taking in children. In 1959 it stopped operating as a convalescent home and became an aged care facility, which in 2020 operates on th

The Talbot Colony for Epileptics was established in 1907. It was a non-denominational institution for boys and girls with epilepsy over the age of five. It was run by a private Council, and received funding through a combination of government grants, shareholders, and private fundraising. The Talbot Colony for Epileptics was renamed to the ‘Royal Talbot Colony for Epileptics’ in 1958. In 1961, it relocated from Clayton to Yarra Boulevard, Kew (its former site was bought by Monash University). Around this time, the name changed again to the Royal Talbot Centre, reflecting that a ‘colony’ was not an appropriate way to treat people with epilepsy. During the 1960s, the focus of the Centre changed to taking groups of orthopaedic, neurological and respiratory patients from public hospitals, although it also continued to treat people with epilepsy. It continued to develop as a therapy and rehabilitation centre and in 1988 became part of Austin Health, at which time it was again renamed

Please contact the Archivist, ISMAPNG Archives and Heritage – Sydney. Postal Address: PO Box 284 Petersham, NSW 2049 Email: ismapngarchives@ismapng.org.au Website: https://institute.mercy.org.au/about-us/archives-and-heritage/ The ISMAPNG website advises that the ISMAPNG Archives are closed to all inquiries until 9th November 2026. Any inquiries sent before that date will not be processed.

The Rutherglen Viticultural College, Chiltern Valley Road, Rutherglen, from 1904 accepted wards of the state deemed to be suitable for viticultural and general farm work as trainees. The Department for Neglected Children and Reformatory Schools and the Agricultural Department (who ran the college) struck an agreement to facilitate this placement. The arrangement appears to have ceased by 1927. The Viticultural College was modelled on the School of Viticulture at Montpellier in France, being designed to accommodate 50 students and staff. The Viticultural College main building was opened by the Governor of Victoria, Lord Brassey KCB on 31 March 1897 during a two day visit to the district. In 1904 ,13 Victorian wards of the state were sent to the college as trainees. They were to receive education in all branches of viticultural and farm work in addition to general educational and moral training. The 1904 annual report of the Department for Neglected Children and Reformatory Scho

The Mornington Island Mission was established by the Presbyterian Church in 1914. The island is located in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Children on the Mornington Island Mission lived in dormitories, nearly totally isolated from their families. The children’s dormitories closed around the late 1960s. Mornington Island was self-managed from 1978, when the Mornington Island Shire Council was constituted with the introduction of the Local Government (Aboriginal Lands) Act 1978. Elsie Roughsey lived in the dormitories at Mornington Island Mission from the age of 8, in the early 1930s. In her memoir, Roughsey described how all children of school age on the Mission had to live in dormitories. The boys and girls were separated from one another, and all children were locked in the dormitory when they were not in school, church or working around the Mission. Children were only allowed to spend time with their parents on Sundays. She recalled that when life in the dormitory got too hard or when t

The State Library of Queensland holds a large collection of records created by the Presbyterian Church of Queensland and the Presbyterian Board of Missions. The collection includes records relating to the management of Missions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including Mapoon Mission, Mornington Island Mission, Aurukun Mission, Thursday Island Mission, and Weipa Mission. Some records include information about individuals and children who lived at the missions, while others relate to more administerial matters (though may still mention individuals). Some records refer to missions that were run by the Presbyterian Church in other states, such as Wotjulum, Mowanjum, and Ernabella Missions – these records possibly include correspondence with those missions. Access Conditions Access these records is restricted until 2070. To request permission to access these records please contact the Presbyterian Church of Queensland. Records This collection include

This is a photograph of the Mission House and School at Mornington Island Mission. It shows two buildings, raised on stilts, on a beach with vegetation visible in the background. This photograph was included in a file held by Queensland State Archives that discuses water supply at the mission, titled ‘Missions – Mornington Island – Water Supply [includes photographs]‘ (page 124). The file also contains other photographs taken at the Mission, including photographs of people living at the Mission. Individuals in the photographs have not been identified in the captions, however some have been identified as people from Bentinck Island.

This is a series containing correspondence files of the Health and Home Affairs Department that relate to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Queensland. This series also includes correspondence of the Office of the Chief Protector of Aboriginals and the Office of the Director of Native Affairs, which were part of the Health and Home Affairs Department. The correspondence relates to a variety of matters such as the removal of children, reserves, missions and settlements, children’s homes, removals from country and exemptions, education, housing, applications for adoptions, and files on individuals. Access Conditions The majority of files in this series are open access and can be viewed by any member of the public. A small number of files are restricted in order to protect personal privacy. For access to open records, or to apply for access to restricted records, please contact Queensland State Archives. Records The below document contains a list of ite

The Deaf and Dumb Institution was founded in Sydney in 1860 by Thomas Pattison, a deaf migrant from Scotland, to provide education to deaf children. It started as a private school, with a residential facility, in Liverpool Street, near South Head Road. It then moved to Castlereagh Street and was officially declared a public institution on 1 October 1861. It moved to larger premises on Old South Head Road in 1868. The Institution was renamed the New South Wales Institution for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind in 1869. Thomas Pattison, who was himself deaf and had been unable to speak, had been the secretary and treasurer of the Edinburgh Deaf and Dumb Benevolent Society and worked there as an assistant teacher for 20 years. On his arrival in Sydney he realised there was a high population of deaf people in New South Wales, many of whom could not speak and received no education or support to function in the wider community. The Deaf and Dumb Institution opened on Monday 22 October 1860, wit

The Children’s Seaside Hotel was located at Narrabeen from approximately 1937, with a branch at Wentworth Falls opening in 1943. It was privately run by two former teachers as an experiment in residential education. It was for children aged from one month to 15 years of age and offered care from a single day to periods of years. It was used during school vacations and by mothers for respite from young children. The Children’s Seaside Hotel advertised in the boarding school and college pages of publications like The Farmer and Settler. According to the advertising, it was staffed with trained nurses and students of child psychology. Both the seaside at Narrabeen and mountains in Wentworth Falls were promoted as offering fresh milk and cream and home grown vegetables, with activities in the ‘health-giving surroundings of mountain air’. Australian actor Jack Thompson spent several years at the Narrabeen Children’s Seaside Hostel as a child, after his mother died and his fathe

This is a photograph of children playing on monkey-bars outside of a single storey stone building, identified as the Children’s Seaside Hotel, Narrabeen. The description posted alongside this photograph on the Narrabeen Reunions and the Northern Beaches Facebook page describes this photo as dating to the 1950s, and that the location of the Hotel was on the corner of Robertson Street and Pittwater Road. A comment left under the photograph by a former resident of the Hotel identifies the building seen in the background as the girls and infants dormitory, with the kitchen and dining room obscured behind the play equipment.

Annesfield, in Albany, was founded as a privately-run residential school for Aboriginal children in 1852 . The purpose of the school was to remove children from their Aboriginal cultural environment and raise them in a Christian environment that conformed with European social standards. It is possible that the first children at Annesfield had been transferred from the Fremantle Native School. The children who were living in Annesfield when it closed in 1871 were transferred to Bishop Hale’s Institution for Native and Half-Caste Children in Perth. Annesfield was run by Mrs Anne Camfield and her husband, who had been employed by the government in various roles in Albany, including as the Government Resident and Postmaster General. It was established with support from Archdeacon Wollaston, who

The Fremantle Native School was established by The Reverend George King in 1842. It was an Anglican residential school for Aboriginal children, mostly girls. Starting with 15 students, the school closed in 1851. The remaining students were possibly transferred to Annesfield in Albany.

Please contact the Historical Records Department, The Salvation Army: Postal Address: 95-99 Railway Road, Blackburn, VIC, 3130 Email: historicalrecords@salvationarmy.org.au Website: https://www.salvationarmy.org.au/about-us/governance-policy/historical-records-request/

‘A big photo album: the archive of the Sisters of St John of God’ is an online news item from ABC Kimberley. It shows pictures of Aboriginal children and adults at communities in the Kimberley, and is about the collection of 34,000 photographs held by the Sisters of St John of God at the Heritage Centre in Broome, Western Australia.

This is a photograph of a building known as Camfield House, which housed the Annesfield Aboriginal School. It shows a single-storey cottage with a small double-storey annexe on one end sitting at the top of a hill.

The Department of Aboriginal Affairs in New South Wales is the custodian of the records of the Aborigines Welfare Board (formerly known as the Aborigines Protection Board) and the Chief Secretary. The Family Records Service was established as a result of the New South Wales Government response to the Bringing Them Home Report to assist Aboriginal people in New South Wales to access government records of themselves and their families, particularly members of the Stolen Generation who lost connection with their families as a result of past government policies and practices. Access Conditions Records relating to Aboriginal people are held by State Records NSW. However, due to the personal and sensitive nature of the information in these records many are closed to public access. All of these records have been digitised which enables the Unit to access them direct and provide copies free of charge to people who have completed a “Finding your Mob” Personal Family History applic

Please contact Archive Administration or Executive Assistant, Marist180/The St Vincent’s Old Boys Association: Postal Address: PO Box 451, Blacktown NSW 2148 Phone: (02) 9672 9200 Email: info@m180.org.au Website: marist180.org.au/record-request

St Andrew’s Hostel, Esperance was established in 1968 by the Anglican Diocese of Kalgoorlie to accommodate young people attending high school in Esperance, including state wards. From 1973 to 1975 it was run by the Anglican Diocese of Perth and then by the Country High School Hostels Authority. Around 2000, St Andrew’s Hostel, Esperance was renamed Esperance Residential College. Although control of St Andrew’s Hostel, Esperance was handed over from the Anglican Diocese of Perth to the Country High School Hostels Authority (CHSHA) in 1975, from 1976 the Anglican Archdeacon of the Country was Chairman of the Board. St Andrew’s Hostel, Esperance was mentioned in the Special Inquiry into St Andrew’s Hostel, Katanning as one of the hostels under the control of the CHSHA. In 1977, the Hostel’s Chairman, Archdeacon (later, Bishop) Michael Challen, reported that there had been allegations ‘that the presence of the Matron in the boys’ showers was not appreciated’ by parents, s

Albany Residential College is a hostel for students attending high school in Albany. It is likely that the hostel was opened around 1974. According to evidence given in the St Andrew’s Hostel inquiry, the Albany Residential College was known as Amity House during the last decades of the twentieth century. Appropriate staffing at the Albany hostel in the 1970s was the subject of evidence in the St Andrew’s Hostel Inquiry in 2012. According to evidence given in this inquiry, the Albany Residential College was known as Amity House during the last decades of the twentieth century. The manager of Amity House 1987-2001 was Nicholas Finnbar (Barry) Christy. From 1977 to around 1979, a brother and sister-in-law of convicted sex offenders Dennis and Neil McKenna, were employed as supervisors at the Amity Hostel in Albany. While there were no allegations against them at Amity, Dennis McKenna was known to employ family members as children he abused “would find it difficult to confide in a p

The Country High School Hostels Authority governed the operations of education hostels throughout regional Western Australia. These were hostels set up for children in rural and regional areas, who boarded at the hostel to attend school. State wards were also boarded in the Authority’s hostels. While the Authority had ultimate responsibility for the hostels, day-to-day operational management and governance was usually delegated to a local management committee or a church body. The Country High School Hostels Authority also governed the operations of Aboriginal education and employment hostels in regional Western Australia through the powers conferred on it by the Country High Schools Authority Act 1960. The formality of governance processes evolved over time, with a Letter of Arrangement between the Authority and each of the hostels in place by the end of the 1970s. These Letters “specified the responsibilities of each local board in the day-to-day management of its hostel but als

Newcastle Mental Hospital was established in 1871 in buildings that had previously been the Newcastle Industrial School and Reformatory for Girls, and prior to that the government barracks. It was opened to ease overcrowding at asylums in Sydney, and intended to specifically accept patients with developmental disabilities (referred to at the time as “imbeciles” and “idiots”), as opposed to those with acute psychiatric conditions or mental illnesses that onset later in life. Its establishment was somewhat hasty and under-planned, taking advantage of the opportunity presented by the vacant buildings when the Girls Reformatory was moved from the site. It first operated under the name of the Newcastle Asylum for Imbeciles and Idiots, and was run first by the Colonial Secretary, and then by the Inspec

The Melbourne Benevolent Asylum opened in 1851. Due to a lack of other institutions in the colony at the time it was established, the Benevolent Asylum initially accommodated a wide range of people in need. This included children, until 1857 when children were transferred to the Melbourne Orphan Asylum at its new site in Emerald Hill. The establishment of a Benevolent Asylum in Melbourne was first proposed in 1848. The foundation stone at the 10 acre site in North Melbourne was laid in 1850. The Benevolent Asylum accepted its first residents in November 1851 (Kehoe, 1998). The Benevolent Asylum was an imposing building on a site “on the summit of a hill overlooking the junction of the Moonee Ponds Creek with the Salt Water swamp immediately behind the old cattle yards of the Melbourne Auction Company” (Kehoe, p.17). Designed by Charles Lang, it was built in a Tudor Gothic style. Kehoe writes that as demand for accommodation grew, the complex was frequently expanded with new wings

Callan Park Hospital for the Insane was officially opened in 1878 at Lilyfield, Sydney. It was under the control of the New South Wales State Government office of the Inspector General of the Insane. It was opened to help relieve overcrowding at other mental health hospitals in New South Wales. In 1915 the name of the Hospital was changed to the Callan Park Mental Hospital, then again in 1976 to the Callan Park Hospital, and finally in 1994 to the Rozelle Hospital. Rozelle Hospital closed in 2008. Callan Park Hospital is known to have provided ‘care’ to young people under the age of 18 from at least 1888. The Correspondence Files of the Colonial Secretary includes letters relating to the admission of children as young as 11 years old to Callan Park, some of whom had been transferred from other mental health hospitals, and a few who had been transferred from children’s h

Gladesville Mental Hospital officially opened in 1838 under the name Tarban Creek Lunatic Asylum. It was located in the Sydney suburb of Gladesville, and was run by the office of the Colonial Secretary before the Office of the Inspector General of the Insane was established in 1876 and took over it’s management. It had several different names thorugh it’s operation, changing to Hospital for the Insane, Tarban Creek in 1868, the Hospital for the Insane, Gladesville in 1869, then Gladesville Mental Hospital in 1915, and from the mid 1960s to Gladesville Hospital. It closed in 1993, and its services were merged with Macquarie Hospital to become the Gladesville Macquarie Hospital. Gladesville Mental Hospital is known to have provided ‘care’ to young people under the age of 18 from at least 1872. The Correspondence Files of the Colonial Secretary includes letters relatin

Parramatta Mental Hospital officially opened in 1849 under the name Parramatta Lunatic Asylum, on the site of the former Parramatta Female Factory. It was was run by the office of the Colonial Secretary before the Office of the Inspector General of the Insane was established in 1876 and took over it’s management. It had several different names throughout it’s operation, changing to Parramatta Hospital for the Insane in 1869, then Parramatta Mental Hospital in 1915, then Parramatta Psychiatric Centre from around 1958. In 1983 Parramatta Psychiatric Centre became Cumberland Hospital. Parramatta Mental Hospital is known to have provided ‘care’ to young people under the age of 18 from at least 1871. The Correspondence Files of the Colonial Secretary includes letters relating to the admission of children as young as eight years old to Parramatta Hospital. These recor

The Mental Hygiene Branch was established in 1944. It assumed responsibility for those functions previously administered by the Department of Mental Hygiene, namely the development and direction of policy governing the treatment of the mentally ill, the care of the intellectually disabled, the care and treatment of alcohol and drug dependent persons, and for the establishment and administration of institutions for their care. The predecessor to the Mental Hygiene Branch, the Department of Mental Hygiene, had been located within the Chief Secretary’s Department of the Victorian public service. With the proclamation of the Ministry of Health Act 1943 (No.4988), the responsibility for the administration of ‘mental hygiene’ and ‘mental deficiency’ was transferred from the Chief Secretary to the Minister for Health. The Ministry of Health Act 1943 provided for a major reorganisation and amalgamation of the administration of health services in Victoria, establishing the state’s first D

Aboriginal Hostels Limited (AHL) was established in June 1973 to provide hostel accommodation and related services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Australia. AHL was established by the Commonwealth Government as a not-for-profit company, with the AHL board reporting to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs. It ran at least one children’s home/hostel for state wards – the Wirraminna Hostel in Essendon, Melbourne. AHL has likely provided accommodation to some state wards in its primary and secondary education hostels, including at the Merindoo Hostel in Gippsland (Victoria), Kirinari Hostel in Sydney, the

The Truganini Hostel was opened as a student hostel by Aboriginal Hostels Ltd (AHL) around 1977. It provided accommodation for Aboriginal students attending school or tertiary education in Hobart. The property had previously been used by AHL as a “transients” hostel for Aboriginal people visiting Hobart. There were approximately 7 students at the hostel in 1977. According to research undertaken by the Tasmanian Redress unit, the Tasmanian government provided funding for several students to live at Truganini Hostel, and at least two of the students were under the guardianship of the state. The 1979 Aboriginal Hostels Ltd. annual report stated that the hostel had changed back to a general purpose transients hostel due to low student numbers. AHL sold the hostel around 1982. This hostel was previously described on Find & Connect as an Aboriginal Family Group Home, which operated between 1976 and 1996. This is now believed to be incorrect. If you have any more information about this

Charlton Memorial Home, also known as Charlton Boys’ Home, was established in Glebe by the Anglican Home Mission Society in 1942. It was a Church of England home that primarily accommodated boys who had appeared in Children’s Courts, but also took a small number of girls. It was located in a building called ‘Avona’, which had previously been the Church of England Home for Girls. It held up to 60 young people, ranging in age from seven to 20. Charlton could in some ways be described as progressive for an institution of its time, however former residents have also described major issues at the home with harsh punishments and sexual abuse perpetrated by staff and other residents. In 1966 Charlton Memorial Home moved to Ashfield. One newspaper article described the wartime context when Char

  Charlton Boys’ Home, Ashfield was established in 1966 by the Anglican Home Mission Society. It had earlier been known as the Charlton Memorial Home, located in Glebe, and moved into a property that was formerly the Milleewa Boys’ Home. In the late 1970s this property became known as Robinson Home. Like its predecessor, Charlton Boys’ Home was in some ways progressive for an institution of its time, however former residents have also described major issues at the home with harsh punishments and sexual abuse perpetrated by staff and other residents. Charlton Boys’ Home was intended to be a modernisation and streamlining of its activities previously conducted at Glebe. Charlton took boys aged 8 to 17 who had bee

Tardun Farm School was opened by the Christian Brothers in 1928 as a Home where boys would learn farm skills. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse found the Christian Brothers were amongst the worst perpetrators of abuse nationally, that the relevant Christian Brothers Provincial Council was aware of allegations of abuse from the 1930s onwards, and that between 1947 and 1968 they failed to prevent sexual abuse in their institutions. Western Australia’s Christian Brothers’ institutions were also a subject of the Senate Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care for their brutality, physical and sexual abuse. In 2024 they were called before the parliamentary inq

Castledare was established by the Christian Brothers in Queen’s Park (later, Wilson) on the site of the former Castledare Special School. It began as a residential primary school for boys aged from around 6 to 12 years, including boys who were wards of the State and boys who were placed privately (by family or others), in premises previously used for the ‘Castledare Special School’. Mostly, boys placed at Castledare were aged 8-10 years. Australian-born boys were sent to Castledare, as were child migrants (1947-1966). Castledare has had many name variations over the years, usually keeping ‘Castledare’ somewhere in the title. Castledare closed in 1983. A residential institution, Castledare, operated on a site in what became 100 Fern Road, Wilson (originally, Queen’s Park) from 1934 until 1983. It was run by the Christian Brothers. Castledare was originally (1929-1934) a school for boys with learning difficulties; from 1934 it became a more general educational and residential institut

The ACT Heritage Library is the state library of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). It was officially opened in 1995, and is located in the suburb of Fyshwick. The ACT Heritage Library collects, manages and provides access to material relevant to the ACT’s documentary heritage. It offers assistance in researching matters relating to the ACT. The Library’s collection includes local and regional newspapers, maps and plans, photograph collections, books, journals, archives and manuscripts relating to notable individuals, places or events in Canberra’s history. The ACT Heritage Library is part of the ACT Heritage Library and Territory Records Office Libraries ACT within Chief Minister’s and Economic Development Directorate of the ACT Government.

Dalmar began its life as the Central Mission Home for neglected children in Woolloomooloo. The Home moved to Croydon in 1900, then changed its name to Dalmar. In 1923 Dalmar moved to Carlingford where a babies home and cottages were established. Dalmar has been known by many names over time, reflecting shifts in the style of out-of-home care it offered, and the evolution of the Central Methodist Mission. Dalmar stopped serving as a children’s home in the 1980s, but, as Wesley Dalmar Children’s Services and part of Wesley Mission, continues to operate foster care programs and residential care facilities. Dalmar was set up as a children’s home by the Central Methodist Mission. It started as the Central Mission Home for Neglected Children in Woolloomooloo. Having outgrown those premises by 1898 the House Committee sought a suitable property. The Woolloomooloo property was sold to fund for the purchase of a house in Dalmar Street, Croydon. In January 1900 the children moved into the new

Church of England Homes was an agency of the Sydney Anglican Diocese that ran children’s homes in Sydney and the Blue Mountains. It was created around 1884 by Reverend TB Tress and Reverend Dr Manning, in Woolloomooloo, and grew to take in several committees that had operated in the Sydney area. Church of England Homes is not to be confused with Church of England Homes Burwood, which ran the Bishop Wigg Memorial Home. Church of England Homes grew out of what had been a committee of the Church of England Temperance Society. The committee was established in 1884 with the purpose of opening the Church Rescue Home for women and girls in the Sydney area. This home opened in 1885, moving between rented premises in Sydney for several years before settling at Strathmore in Glebe in 1899. This site in Glebe was to be the main site of activity for the committee for the next 40 years. By 1900 the committee had become kn

The Home Mission Society of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, also known as the Church of England Home Mission Society,  was established in Sydney in 1856. It was originally called the Church Society before its name was changed to the Home Mission Society in 1911. It ran several children’s Homes through its Homes and Hostels Committee, and also provided chaplaincy at the children’s courts. Both Care Force and Charlton Youth Services developed from the Home Mission Society. In 1997 the Home Mission Society changed its name to Anglicare. The society’s main objective was to help needy parishes by building new churches, rectories and schools, paying clergy, and evangelising and bringing more people to the church. The Society began to increase its social welfare work in the

Charlton Youth Services was an agency of the Anglican Home Mission Society and, after Anglicare was formed in 1997, of Anglicare Welfare Services. It was formed to manage Charlton Boys Homes in the 1950s. Charlton Youth Services provided care for older boys, many of whom were referred by the courts. By 2012, the name Charlton Youth Services was no longer in use. Some of its records, and records of boys’ homes that were under its supervision, are held by Anglicare Out-of-Home Care Service. Charlton Youth Services operated Charlton Boys Home at Glebe and Ashfield. The Ashfield complex included Milleewa, Robinson and Wright. They also operated Trigg at Granville; Lisgar at Summer Hill (which had previously been at Oatley, Bonnet Bay and Marrickville); Carramar at Girraween and Telopea; and Timaru at Macquarie Fields (Campbelltown) and Ingleburn. Charlton Boys Home at Ashfield consisted of three buildings built at 16 Brunswick Parade, on the former Milleewa boys home site. In the lat