A New Arcadia for Children, 1934
Details
Mount Arcadia Children's Home in Parramatta North that was established by the Smith Family in 1933. It was a convalescent home for children suffering from juvenile rheumatism and other illnesses. Most children stayed at Mount Arcadia for around 5 months before returning home. The hospital was rebuilt in the mid 1950s, and in 1958, the property was sold to Tara Anglican School for Girls.
The Smith Family opened the Mount Arcadia Children's Home in 1933 as a 'recovery home for little children suffering from juvenile rheumatism and heart affections'. Public hospitals were unable to meet the needs of these patients, who required long months of convalescence: 'rest and still more rest is the secret of nursing these critical cases' (Barrier Daily Truth 17 March 1952). Mount Arcadia was the only hospital of its kind in Australia.
Mount Arcadia was located on a hillside off Pennant Hills Road, North Parramatta, overlooking the Burnside Presbyterian Orphan Homes.
Following a public appeal, new buildings were erected and the modern Mount Arcadia Hospital opened on the site in 1953. The renovation increased its capacity from 30 to 60 beds.
In 1958, Mount Arcadia was sold to the Tara Anglican School for Girls, which is still located on the site in 2018.
Sources used to compile this entry: 'A Family Story', Australian Women's Weekly, 8 July 1933, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51189487; 'Young hearts cured at Mount Arcadia', Horsham Times, 29 August 1941, p. 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article72695011; 'Mount Arcadia and the Smith Family', Barrier Daily Truth, 17 March 1952, p. 4, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article141213492.
Prepared by: Naomi Parry & Cate O'Neill
Created: 19 May 2014, Last modified: 8 November 2018
Last updated: 4 August 2023
Cite this: https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/ref/nsw/biogs/NE01622b.htm
First published by the Find & Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
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