ABUSE AND MISTREATMENT: ST AUGUSTINES

ORPHANAGE, HIGHTON, 1900-1950.

Lucy Fitzgerald

INTRODUCTION
From the beginning of the 20th century, the number of orphans in Homes had
dramatically increased in Victoria. The economic depression in the 1920s led to
an increased reliance on voluntary childrens welfare institutes. The number of
state wards rose in this time, and St. Augustines became full to capacity. This led
to a decrease in the quality of living conditions in the orphanage. The children in
the homes adhered to strict industrious habits to provide practical training that
would make them more employable. Punishment and abuse was also used to
instill fear in children as well as reminding them of their place in society. The
mistreatment and abuse happened on a daily basis for the boys in St. Augustines
Orphanage, Highton. This type of treatment would shape the lives of these boys
both physically and mentally as a result of their time in this institution.

CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING PLACEMENT IN HOMES

Life in early 20th century Australia had become increasingly difficult for families,
with many relying on Catholic Institutions and Homes for the care of their
children. The aftermath of World War I in Australia meant the loss of 60,000
young men and many more suffered disabilities.1 This meant many families were
now incomplete. Raising children could be financially difficult on a singe income.

1 J. Barnard and K. Twigg,, Holding On To Hope: a history of the founding agencies

After losing so many during the war, the economic crisis led to a dramatic
increase in the number of state wards being admitted voluntarily into care. 2
Neglect was the main reason children were taken away from their families and
placed into institutional care. The term neglect was very broadly defined in
Children Welfare Acts, which gave all states comprehensive jurisdiction over the
behavior of both parents and children.3 Amendments of the Neglected Childrens
Act in 1933 only worsened the situation. Children could now be removed if they
were likely to lapse into crime, if they were under the guardianship of anyone
who was unfit in the courts eyes to care for a child.4 This new amendment meant
that the court could easily remove children from homes or parents if they were
judged unfit. With the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the number of state
wards had dropped to 5,452 reflecting the low-birth rate of the depression.5

2 J. Barnard and K. Twigg,, Holding On To Hope, p. 123
3 J. Penglase, Orphans of the Living: Growing up in care in twentieth century
Australia (Fremantle: Fremantle Press, 2007), p. 53.
4 D. Jaggs, Neglected and Criminal: Foundations of Child Welfare Legislation in
Victoria (Melbourne: Centre for Youth and Community Studies Phillip Institute of
Technology, 1986), p. 138
5 ibid p. 140.

Advertisement for St. Augustines Building Fund, 1938.

Source: Jill Barnard & Karen Twiggs, Holding On To Hope: A history of the
founding of MacKillop Family Services 1854-1997, 2004, p. 129.

St. Augustines Orphanage, Highton, 1939.

Source: Jill Barnard & Karen Twiggs, Holding On To Hope: A history of the founding
of MacKillop Family Services 1854-1997, 2004, p. 130.

However, the demand for a new institution to house the increased number of
orphans and state wards at this time became increasingly high. St. Augustines
Orphanage, Highton first opened in 1939, after extensive financial difficulty to
finish the building. St. Augustines was a source of enormous pride for the
Victorian Catholic community and was run by the Christian Brothers.6

DECLINING HEALTH AND MEDICAL ATTENTION

Living conditions and health plays a major role in the traumatic experiences
orphans faced on a daily basis in St. Augustines Orphanage. Shared living spaces
and regulated medical treatments were also a major factor in the rapid decrease
in the health of the boys. A decrease in living standards and health of the boys
had become clear to the people in the community around the period of WWII.
The orphanage was full to capacity. Officials that visited the Orphanage during
the depression and war times were aware of the terrible conditions that the boys
had to live in. This was ignored as it was seen as better than many working class
children could expect in their own homes.7 In 1941 the Catholic Social Service
Bureau had began to receive complaints about St. Augustines. Parents
complained that boys had become thin and miserable shortly after admission.
This coincided with the insufficient number of staff to supervise the 350 boys in
residence.8 Many children in St. Augustines felt that their general physical
welfare was being neglected. They were forced to sleep in dormitory style
arrangements, with beds being closely placed together to maximize the space
used in each room. Dietary arrangements were inadequate along with a lack of

6 J. Barnard and K. Twigg, Holding On To Hope, p. 142.
7 ibid.
8 ibid.

heating and warm clothes.9 These living conditions led to an increase in the
likelihood of the rapid spread of diseases. An epidemic was inevitable in this
environment. The physical and mental trauma associated with food consumption
had lasting mental impacts on children.10 A combination of deprivation and
discipline meant the boys were left with an abiding sense of guilt associated with
eating. The time spent in St. Augustines orphanage would have a profound
impact on the boys physically and mentally for the rest of their lives.

The baker assisted by two residents, bakehouse, St. Augustines, c. 1947

Source: Jill Barnard & Karen Twiggs, Holding On To Hope: A history of the
founding of MacKillop Family Services 1854-1997, 2004, p. 207.



9 ibid.
10 N. Musgrove, The Scars Remain: a long history of forgotten Australians and
Childrens Institutions (North Melbourne: Australian Scholarly, 2013), p. 123.

Boys with a load of hay, St. Augustines Farm, c. 1940s

Source: Jill Barnard & Karen Twiggs, Holding On To Hope: A history of the
founding of MacKillop Family Services 1854-1997, 2004, p. 148.

Brother Gerard OShea and a class at St. Augustines Junior Technical

School, c. late 1940s
Source: Jill Barnard & Karen Twiggs, Holding On To Hope: A history of the
founding of MacKillop Family Services 1854-1997, 2004, p. 147.

CHILDREN AS A COMMODITY
Labour was required as part of the daily running of the institute. The purpose
of the large amount of land surrounding St. Augustines was to provide a self-
sufficient institution. St. Augustines in Highton was built on surrounding
farmland totaling about 200 acres. The Brothers slaughtered their own meat,
had a dairy herd which provided milk, a large vegetable garden which yielded a
variety of vegetables, and over 600 hens that produced a plentiful supply of
eggs.11 In 1945, the introduction of more animals such as pigs and an expansion
of the dairy herd meant that the more land would be acquired to plant cops for
wheat and hay.12 The function of the farm has 2 purposes, one being to provide
produce for the orphanage, the second was to provide training in all-round
farming methods.13 Other trades were taught to the boys to better their chances
of getting a job when they left the orphanage. Building hard workers and solid
citizens were instilled in the everyday lives of the boys.14 In 1947, a Technical
School was established at St. Augustines Orphanage as a response to the
shortage of skilled labour after the war. The boys were seen as a commodity, of
which the institution could run without employing large groups of adults. As
long as farm employment was seen as a suitable career option for the boys,
work on the orphanage farm could be viewed as training for their future.15 The
institutes main purpose was to keep at risk children from falling into a life of
crime. Institutes were being used as an all-purpose solution to the problems

11 J. Barnard and K. Twigg, Holding On To Hope, p. 148.
12 ibid.
13 St. Augustines Orphanage Appeal Committee, St. Augustines Orphanage
Geelong Appeal, September 1931, The Mail Publishers.
14 N. Musgrove, The Scars Remain, p. 134.
15 J. Barnard and K. Twigg, Holding On To Hope, p. 149.

posed by delinquent, destitute and ill treated children.16 This treatment of

children was almost slave-like and had their childhood stolen.

DISCIPLINE, PUNISHENT AND ABUSE

The focus of St. Augustines was the discipline and ordering of childrens minds
and bodies. This was instilled in the boys everyday routine through violence and
abuse. The boys were victims of violent regimes they could not resist, which was
often carried out by gathering together to watch others receive punishment.17
Physical and emotional ties between staff and children were discouraged. They
were however, encouraged o be friendly towards the boys.18 The dehumanising
environment of the institute itself is the primary abuse.19 Children constantly felt
fear on a daily basis. This was mostly the intention as ruling by fear is effective
and can be destructive to a developing child.20 We trust that adults should be
able to care for children and not harm them. However, the reality is that hurting
children is within the capacity of a normal adult.21 The boys at St. Augustines
Orphanage were subject to corporal punishments such as the strap for anything
from swearing to climbing trees.22 This was a way to maintain order and
discipline in the institution. Sexual abuse also played a large role in the lives of
selected boys. This is particularly difficult to trace as it wasnt usually reported at
the time in official records. This was also a way of manipulating the body and

16 D. Jaggs, Neglected and Criminal, p. 140.
17 N. Musgrove, The Scars Remain, p. 125.
18 J. Barnard, A Secure Safeguard of the Childrens Morals: Catholic Welfare in
Nineteenth Century Victoria, Provenance, 4 (2005), p. 27.
19 J. Penglase, Orphans of the Living, p. 106.
20 ibid
21 ibid. p. 55.
22 N. Musgrove, The Scars Remain, p. 125.

attaining control over the children in the institute. Children in institutions such
as St. Augustines Orphanage had little privacy, no individuality and were not
entitled to dignity.23 Abuse became a part of the everyday lives of the boys living
in St. Augustines Orphanage. Whether it was physical, mental or sexual abuse
the trauma of these experiences shaped the lives of these children.

CONCLUSION
St. Augustines Orphanage is just one of the many institutes across Victoria which
housed orphans and wards of the state. The institution of children was very
common from the 19th century through to the 20th century. Neglected and at risk
children where often removed or voluntarily placed into institutional care to give
them a better life. St. Augustines Orphanage was a self-sufficient home. The boys
in the home were not well looked after, they received minimal medical attention,
and diseases spread Children learnt vital skills to make them employable, it was
also a cheap form of labour to assist in the running of the institute. The boys
would perform many vital tasks including milking a dairy herd and tending to
the vegetable garden. These were seen as a way to keep them out of trouble in
the future. Abuse was a part of the everyday routine of the boys lives. They were
both physically, mentally and sometimes sexually abused. This was associated
with maintaining control over the mind and body of the boys. Life in St.
Augustines was not easy for the children placed in the home for care. Not only
were they taken away from their families, but they were put into a system that
would ultimately traumatize them for the rest of their lives.


23 ibid. p. 115.



BIBLIOGRAPHY:


J. Barnard and K. Twigg, Holding On To Hope: a history of the founding agencies of
MacKillop Family Services (Melbourne: Australian Scholarly Publishing Pty Ltd,
2004).

J. Barnard, A Secure Safeguard of the Childrens Morals: Catholic Welfare in
Nineteenth Century Victoria, Provenance, 4 (2005), p. 19-30.


D. Jaggs, Neglected and Criminal: Foundations of Child Welfare Legislation in
Victoria (Melbourne: Centre for Youth and Community Studies Phillip Institute of
Technology, 1986).

N. Musgrove, The Scars Remain: a long history of forgotten Australians and
Childrens Institutions (North Melbourne: Australian Scholarly, 2013).

J. Penglase, Orphans of the Living: Growing up in care in twentieth century
Australia (Fremantle: Fremantle Press, 2007).

St. Augustines Orphanage Appeal Committee, St. Augustines Orphanage Geelong
Appeal, September 1931, The Mail Publishers.