Werribee (also known as Werribee Girls' Cottage) in Victoria Park was established by the Methodist Homes for Children in Victoria Park in 1962, and run by agencies of the Uniting Church after 1977. It accommodated girls of high school age in a detached house setting on the Jarrah Road boundary of the Mofflyn campus. Girls who were wards of the State were admitted, along with children admitted privately (by family or others). Werribee closed in 1985.
Government reports (Signposts 2004, pp.565-567) show that Werribee in Victoria Park (also known as Werribee Girls' Cottage) was a group home with live-in house 'parents'. In 1969, the girls at Werribee include four girls who were wards of the State. By 1975, there were nine girls aged 12-15 years who were housed at Werribee on a short term basis
The Department of Child Welfare's 'Submission to the Committee of Enquiry into Residential Child Care' in July 1976 (quoted in Signposts p.566) described Werribee, which: 'had a garden, play area, trampoline, access to an oval, tennis court, bikes and a range of sporting equipment. There were 3 bedrooms which would sleep three or more girls per room; a study; 2 bathrooms and 2 toilets; and a storeroom; a pool or table tennis table; a TV, piano, and radio or radiogram were available. Girls walked to school. The average length of stay was 9 months. Holiday placements were actively sought for the children. Recreational activities included camping trips.'
Werribee closed in 1985.
In government records, Werribee is spelled in various ways including Warribee and Weeribee.
![The 'Homes' Herald, 1970 [Methodist Homes for Children]](../objects/thumbs/tn_WD0000201 The Homes Herald 1970 Vol2 No11.png)
![The 'Homes' Herald, 1974 [Methodist Homes for Children]](../objects/thumbs/tn_WD0000202 The Homes Herald 1974 Vol2 No20.png)
![The 'Homes' Herald, 1978 [Methodist Homes for Children]](../objects/thumbs/tn_WD0000203 The Homes Herald 1978 Vol2 No24.png)
Sources used to compile this entry: Information Services, Department for Community Development, 'pp.566-568', Signposts: A Guide for Children and Young People in Care in WA from 1920, Government of Western Australia, 2004, https://signposts.communities.wa.gov.au//pdf/pdf.aspx; Interview conducted by Debra Rosser with Robert Watson, Mission Development Leader, UnitingCare West, 16 February 2012. State Records Office of Western Australia, Wards - Director's Approval to Transfer from one Institution to Another and Amend Training, Reference Code AU WA S1099- cons2607 A0191 V4 (p.171, 203, 397) - page numbers refer to PDF page number in digital file held by the Department of Communities (Child Protection and Family Support) in 2017.
Prepared by: Debra Rosser
Created: 15 March 2011, Last modified: 22 November 2018
Last updated: 17 October 2023
Cite this: https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/ref/wa/biogs/WE00241b.htm
First published by the Find & Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License