The child rescue movement was an outgrowth of the evangelical revival in England, it captured the imagination of many Australian philanthropists during the last quarter of the nineteenth century, leaving a particular mark on colonial and state child welfare services. Child rescuers argued that the existing orphanages and statutory organisations were too passive in their…
The Salvation Army Australia came into being in 2018 when the Salvation Army Southern Territory and Salvation Army Eastern Territory merged. The Australian Territory Board of Governance held its first meeting in September 2018. The Salvation Army (also known as The Salvos) continues to provide a range of community services in Australia, including out-of-home care…
The Salvation Army, Australian Territory was established in 1880 when the first members of the church came to Australia. From 1880 until 1907, the Salvation Army Australasian Territory comprised the church’s operations in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga. In 1907, the Australian Territory was separated from New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga. In 1921, the…
Infant Life Protection was a program that emerged in response to rising concerns about ‘baby farming’ in the late nineteenth century – this was the practice of infants, usually born to single mothers, being placed in private homes to be nursed and boarded, for a fee. There was a very high mortality rate for ex-nuptial…
Mental deficiency is a term that was commonly used to describe intellectual or developmental disability in the first half of the twentieth century. It was regarded as a disease, and the popular belief was that people who were diagnosed as ‘mentally defective’ needed to be segregated from the community, to receive special ‘care’ and treatment….
“Correspondence files, single number series with ‘B’ [Child Endowment] prefix” is an archival series held by the National Archives of Australia. Its series number is A885. The records in A885 relate to child endowment and family allowances. The records were created by the Commonwealth Department of Social Services. Many of the files document the payment…
In 1951, a British Home Office official named John Moss inspected and reported on Australian and New Zealand institutions where British child migrants were living. Moss spent July-December 1951 travelling around Australia and to New Zealand, inspecting institutions and making recommendations. His report, known as the Moss Report, was submitted to the British government in…
The Salvation Army Australia Museum holds historical memorabilia, photographs and records related to the operations of the Salvation Army in Australia, including material relating to some of the children’s Homes it ran. The Museum also holds a digitised and searchable complete set of the Salvation Army magazine, War Cry. The Museum is located in Melbourne,…
Salvation Army Australia, Records of Homes in the former Southern Territory is a collection of records relating to former residents of Salvation Army institutions in South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. The Salvation Army in these states was known as the Southern Territory from 1921 until 2018. Care Leavers who apply for access to…
The Community of the Holy Name is a religious order founded in Melbourne, in 1888. The founder of the order, Emma Caroline Silcock (also known as Sister Esther), led the work of the Mission to the Streets and Lanes in Melbourne, and the two organisations had a close association. The order was not formally established…