St Mary’s school for the Deaf (1950–85)

St Mary's School for the Deaf history, in brief

In 1950, the Dominican Sisters opened St Mary's School for the Deaf in Portsea, in the former premises of an Australian Camp Hospital and officers' convalescent home.

In the 1950s, the school catered for boys aged three to 10 years and girls aged three to 16 years, all of whom had hearing difficulties.

In 1985, St Mary's was sold.

Warning about distressing information

This guide contains information that some people may find distressing. If you experienced abuse as a child or young person in an institution mentioned in this guide, it may be a difficult reading experience. Guides may also contain references to previous views, policies and practices that are regrettable and do not reflect the current views, policies or practices of the department or the State of Victoria. If you find this content distressing, please consult with a support person either from the Department of Health and Human Services or another agency.

Disclaimer

Please note that the content of this administrative history is provided for general information only and does not purport to be comprehensive. The department does not guarantee the accuracy of this administrative history. For more information on the history of child welfare in Australia, see Find & Connect.

Source

• Find & Connect

List of records held by the department

For information relating to the central management of care leavers and wards of state, please consult the guide to Central department wardship and out-of-home care records. These collections date back to the 1860s and include ward registers, index cards and ward files.

Voluntary children’s homes files (c.1930–c.1985)

File; Permanent VPRS Number 18069 / P0001

Content: The files record interaction between the various voluntary homes and the government. This filing system was created in 1975, combining earlier correspondence and other records to create one system with VH prefixes.

The specific file(s) relating to St Marys date from 1951 to 1983 and include:

• Named state wards 1951, 1982.
• Inspectors' reports (some including names of children), 1951–69, includes actual lists of children, 1963 and 1966.
• References to Infant Life Protection registered children being resident at the home.1957–68.
• Funding review, removal of St Mary’s School from list of children’s homes 1983.
• Statement that only 12 wards of state were resident at the home, c. 1980s.