AGY-503 | Society for the Relief of Destitute Children (1852-1858) / Randwick Asylum for Destitute Children (1858-1915)

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On 4 June, 1852, the Society for the Relief of Destitute Children opened the doors of Ormond House in Oxford Street, Paddington for the reception of needy children. The Society was formed in response to an appeal by the Colonial Secretary for private funding for such an institution. The Government had given five hundred pounds to fit up Ormond House as an asylum and the Governor-in-Chief of New South Wales became its Patron. The Society received both Government and private funding until 1885 when the Government withdrew all financial assistance.(1) The Asylum aimed to care for abandoned children or those whose parents were dissolute characters. Single parents could place children in the Asylum upon the payment of a fixed sum for the child’s maintenance. Children taken by the asylum were normally between the ages of three and ten years and not eligible for admission to the Orphan schools.(2) While at Ormond House they received an industrial training and religious instruction.(3) The main officers of the Society - the president, vice-president/s and treasurer were elected annually. A Board of Directors which included the executive members, held monthly meetings and managed the affairs of the Institution . The Board had the power to appoint or dismiss the Master and Matron and made by-laws for the Asylum. A House Committee of nine members, elected by the Board met at least weekly and dealt with the day-to-day functioning of the home. (4) In its first year the Asylum admitted 89 children. By 1856 it housed 150 children which exceeded its capacity.(5) An Act to incorporate and otherwise promote the objects of the Society for the Relief of Destitute Children was assented to on 23 February, 1857. Under this legislation, from 1 March, 1857 the Society was constituted as a body politic and corporate with a common seal, having perpetual succession and being capable of purchasing and selling goods and property. Existing rules of the Society were to remain, but subsequent rules were to become by-laws after approval by the Governor and Executive Council. Whilst the Institution remained in part supported by contributions from the public Treasury a commissioner was to be appointed to inspect the buildings and premises of the Society at least once a year and to report on the condition of the children in the Asylum. Every child placed in the Asylum (including voluntary admissions) was to remain the responsibility of the Institution until aged 19 or, in the case of a female marrying earlier than this, until her marriage. The Directors were authorised to apprentice the children from the ages of 12 to 19. The decision of two Justices of the Peace could require parents to make weekly contributions towards the support of the child. The Board could relinquish the care of a child to its parent if the parent could demonstrate capacity to care and maintain the child.(6) The passing of the Act enabled the Society to build larger premises. The Government granted 60 acres at High Cross, Randwick and a bequest of 11000 pounds from the Society’s first medical officer allowed the erection of a building to accommodate 400 children. The Randwick Asylum for Destitute Children( ?) was occupied on 28 March 1858. In 1863 completion of a new wing provided accommodation for a further 400 children. Following the death of 77 children from whooping cough in 1867, funds donated by the Irish singer Catherine Hayes in 1855 were used to build a hospital named after the benefactor. (7) The Asylum from its inception aimed to be self-sufficient. The Randwick site included a farm where the boys learnt farming skills. Many of the boys and girls became apprenticed to the Institution when they reached 12. The children received a basic education. From 1877 they received a State education from teachers from the Council of Education. (8) The State Children Relief Act of 1881 [Act 44 Vic. No. 24, 1881] which commenced on 5 April, 1881 authorised any State child under the age of twelve to be removed from an Asylum and boarded-out. Boarding out commenced in 1883, and the number of resident children subsequently declined. (9) After 1888, the Government ceased funding the home and no longer used it as an accommodation for State children, although some children supported by their parents remained. (10) The premises were increasingly under-utilised until it was taken over by the Federal Government during World War I as a military hospital for wounded and disabled returned servicemen. (11) In April 1915 the children remaining at the Asylum were sent to cottage style institutions or boarded-out.(12) FOOTNOTES (1) Ramsland, J Children of the Backlanes New South Wales University Press, Kensington, 1986 pp. 71-74 (2) Ibid, p. 72-73 (3) Gandevia, B Child Health and Welfare in Australia from 1788 Pergamon Press, Rushcutters Bay, 1978 p. 115 (4) Ramsland, J op. cit. p. 75 (5) Ibid, pp73 & 78 (6) Destitute Children’s Society Act of 1857 [20 Victoria, Act No. 19, 1857] (7) Ramsland, J op. cit. pp.78-90 (8) Ibid, pp. 80-88 (9) State Children Relief Act of 1881 [44 Vic. Act No. 24, 1881, s. 2] (10) Report of State Children Relief Board for Year Ending 5 April 1887 in New South Wales Votes and Proceedings 2nd Session 1887 v. 2 p.733 (11)Gandevia, B op. cit. p. 116 (12) Randwick Municipal Council Randwick A Social History New South Wales University Press, Kensington, 1985 p.26