The Waitara Foundling Home was established in 1898 by the Sisters of Mercy, North Sydney Congregation as a home for babies and for unmarried mothers, who were referred from hospitals throughout the eastern states of Australia. In 1928 the Waitara Foundling Home was renamed Our Lady of Mercy Home.
The Waitara Foundling Home was first established in an old cottage on Leek’s Orchard. In 1902, a two-storey brick home for mothers and babies was built, providing accommodation for mothers and their babies from hospitals and private homes throughout the eastern states of Australia.
In 1921, Waitara Foundling Home was granted 5 shillings per week for every orphan in its care by the NSW Government. This allowance was extended to a range of private institutions that cared for children.
In 1925 a pre-school kindergarten was opened within the Home, for the children in residential care.
Whenever possible, mothers remain with their children until they were weaned.
The Waitara Foundling Home was renamed Our Lady of Mercy Home in 1928 in recognition of the fact that many of the children in the home were not orphaned.
From
1898
To
1927
Alternative Names
Home for Foundlings
Waitara Orphanage
Waitara Home
Waitara
1898 - 1977
Waitara Foundling Home was situated at Waitara, New South Wales (Building Demolished)
Subsequent
