Archives



Correspondence files, Aborigines Welfare Board

The Correspondence files of the Aborigines Welfare Board is a series of records held by the NSW State Archives. The files pertain to such matters as: reports on conditions of reserves; case histories of ex-wards of the Board; acquisitions of land; purchase and construction of houses; repair and maintenance of properties; tenancies; home loans; education…

Department of Aboriginal Affairs, State Government of New South Wales

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 Unit was established as a result of the New South Wales Government response to the Bringing Them Home Report to assist…

Uniting Burnside

Uniting Burnside is a member of the Uniting services. It is one of the largest providers of child and family services in New South Wales and in 2010 worked with 13,000 children, young people and family members. Uniting Burnside holds the records of Burnside’s various operations on the North Parramatta site, and of Burnside group…

Nautical School Ship Vernon

The Vernon was a tall ship purchased by the New South Wales Government in 1867 and converted to a Nautical School Ship. It was a reformatory and industrial school and housed more than 100 boys, training them in nautical and other trades. The Vernon was first anchored between Garden Island and the Government Domain, and…

Aborigines Protection Association

The Aborigines Protection Association was set up in 1881 to both control Aboriginal people and ‘protect’ them from the effects of white society. It was inspired by Christian missionary work conducted by Daniel Matthews at Maloga and Reverend J.B. Gribble at Warangesda and later expanded to include Brewarrina. In 1897 it was wound up and…

Prince of Wales Hospital

The Prince of Wales Hospital was established in 1953 as an annex of Sydney Hospital and is on the Randwick Campus of the South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Health Service. This campus includes Sydney Children’s Hospital and the Royal Hospital for Women. The Prince of Wales Hospital holds records of a number of maternity hospitals…

Adoption Information Act 1990, New South Wales

The Adoption Information Act 1990 (63/1990) was ‘An Act to allow greater access to information relating to adoptions’. It was an important piece of legislation that reversed much of the secrecy relating to adoptions. This act improved the rights of all people involved in adoption to access information and created registers so adoptees and relinquishing…

Deserted Wives and Children Act 1901, New South Wales

The Deserted Wives and Children Act (17/1901) was ‘An Act to consolidate the enactments relating to Deserted Wives and Children.’ It was created to ensure men supported their wives and children. Deserting a wife or child was made a criminal offence in the Crimes Act 1900. Initially this Act permitted orders to be made for…

Liverpool Asylum

The Liverpool Asylum was an asylum operated by the Benevolent Society of New South Wales from 1851 to 1862. It was for infirm and destitute men. It was taken over by the New South Wales Government in 1862 and renamed the Liverpool Asylum for the Infirm and Destitute. Records of the Hospital and Home were…

Our Boys’ Home

Our Boys’ Home was established in 1890 in Camden by the Society for Providing Homes for Neglected Children. It was a farm training home for boys between nine and fourteen years old. Initially the home was intended to accommodate 12 boys, however from at least 1915 there were an average of 20 boys in residence….