Ballarat Orphanage facts for kids

Ballarat Orphanage, originally called the Ballarat District Orphan Asylum, was a boys' and girls' orphanage located in Ballarat, Victoria. The orphanage was the focal point in a 2002 lawsuit brought on by 14 former wards who alleged that abuse occurred at the orphanage in the 1960s.

History

The Ballarat District Orphan Asylum was founded in 1865. It was run by an officially non-denominational board, though the members of the board were nominally Protestant. In 1909, the name was changed to Ballarat Orphanage.

The first superintendent and matron of Ballarat District Orphan Asylum were local public school teachers named Mr. and Mrs. Finlay. Other notable superintendents included Arthur Kenny, who served from 1884 to 1925 and oversaw the orphanage's name change, and politician Herbert Ludbrook.

In 1968, Ballarat Orphanage was officially dissolved, reorganizing as Ballarat Children's Home. In 1988, Ballarat Children's Homes and Family Services sold the orphanage and the building was converted into a Catholic technical school.