| Holy Child Orphanage, Broome |
| Years of Operation | 1890’s - 1970 |
| Role Of Facility | Residential child care of orphaned girls and girls removed from their families by Native Affairs aged from 0 to 20 years. |
| Sponsoring Agency | Sisters of St John of God (1940-1962). The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies website shows the Roman Catholic Church as the governing body for the Holy Child Orphanage, though the dates given for operation far exceed those identified by the Sisters of St John of God. However, “A Piece of the Story”, the National Directory of Records of Catholic Organisations Caring for Children Separated from Families also reports that a home for “native girls” was established in Broome in the 1890’s, not giving the name of the Order who ran it. |
Other facilities in
Signposts that are
related to the
Sponsoring Agency | See the entry “Sisters of St John of God” in the earlier section of Signposts, “Non-Government Agencies and their Subsidiary Institutions” |
| Address(es) | Broome |
| Aliases | St John of God Home for Native Girls |
| Brief History | A history of the Sisters of St John of God in Australia is being compiled. Enquiries about this book should be directed to the Sisters via the contact details below.
“A Piece of the Story”, the National Directory of Records of Catholic Organisations Caring for Children Separated from Families ( www.catholicsocialservices.org.au/publications ) reports that the girls, once completing primary school, either stayed at the Orphanage to learn domestic skills or were transferred to hostel type accommodation near the convent to acquire them there. “Girls stayed with the Sisters until they married or returned to their families.”
The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies website shows the operating years for the Holy Child Orphanage in Broome being from 1912 to 1970, but “A Piece of the Story” records a home for “native girls” at Broome from the 1890’s.
According to “A Piece of the Story”, the national directory of Catholic residential services, Holy Child Orphanage closed in 1962. As admissions and discharges were reported in the Department’ of Child Welfare’s Annual Report of 1963, the closure must have occurred between July and December – possibly at the end of the 1962 school year.
A limited chronology is included in Table 17. |
| Records | Photographs may be held by the Sisters and others.
According to the The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies website, the State Records Office in Western Australia “holds extensive records relating to missions.” Contact details are below.
For Native Welfare Department Records, contact the Department for Child Protection to gain assistance in accessing various records held on children who were membes of the Stolen Generations. |
| Access | While access to records is restricted to protect the privacy of individuals, people are encouraged to enquire. |
| Contact Details | Holy Child Orphanage
SSJG Heritage Centre
PO Box 7442, Broome WA 6725
Telephone: (08) 9192 3950
Email: pat.rhatigan@westnet.com.au
Freedom of Information
Department for Child Protection and Family Support
PO Box 6334, East Perth WA 6892
Telephone: (08) 9222 2555
Facsimile: (08) 9222 2776
Country free call: 1800 000 277
Email: foi@cpfs.wa.gov.au
Website: www.childprotection.wa.gov.au
For general information relating to missions:
State Records Office, Alexander Library Building
James St West Entrance
Perth WA 6000.
Search Centre: GroundFloor Mon-Fri:9.30am-4.30pm
Telephone: (08) 9427 3360
Facsimile: (08) 9427 3368
email: sro@sro.wa.gov.au |
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