Parramatta Girls Home

Parramatta Girls Home was also known as Parramatta Industrial School for Girls, Girls Training School and Girls Training Home.

Former premises of the Roman Catholic Orphan School; Post 1974 Kamballa & Taldree, and since 1980, Norma Parker Detention Centre for Women.

The site of the Parramatta Girls Home has been in continuous use as a place of confinement for females since 1886 and is located adjacent to the Cumberland Hospital ( which was the former Parramatta female factory in Parramatta, NSW, Australia.

Parramatta Girls Home was established on the former site of the Roman Catholic Orphan School and replaced an earlier institution, the Biloela Industrial School (1871-1887) on Cockatoo Island, NSW.

It was a NSW Government welfare institution for girls between the ages of 12 and 18 years.

Initially the site operated as both an Industrial and Training School, with girls classified as not 'corrupt' housed in the Training School and others who were deemed 'corrupt' sentenced to the Industrial school. Separation of classifications was attempted between 1912 and 1925 with the enclosing of the southern portion of the site, where the 1862 Hospital building was located, with a high brick wall.

Around 1925 these two 'separate' institutions were reemerged and the institution became known as the Parramatta Girls Home (PGH), although use of its earlier name the Girls Training School (GTS) persisted until its closure in 1974.

It was staffed by career public servants, many of whom had received their training in boy's institutions, namely Boys Institutions at Gosford, Yanco and Tamworth.

The population of the Girls Home included many indigenous girls, mostly those who belong to the Stolen Generation, and by far was dominated by girls whose families experienced poverty or abuse, or girls who had been orphaned or made state wards at an earlier age.

Riots occurred frequently, and were generally initiated by girls in an attempt to draw attention to the horrendous conditions, strict discipline and extreme punishments they were experiencing.

In 1961 an annex was established in a former colonial gaol at Hay, which became known as the Institution for girls hay and was intended as a place for girls who would not comply with the strict discipline of Parramatta.

Parramatta Girls Home was officially closed in July 1974, however it did continue to operate as a welfare institution under a new name, Kamballa and Taldree. In 1980 the Department of Corrective Services took over the main buildings and since that time it has operated as the Norma Parker Detention Centre for Women.

See also

*St Heliers Correctional Centre
*New South Wales Department of Juvenile Justice
*Magdalen Asylum

External links

[Parramatta Girls Home http://www.parragirls.org.au]
* [http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/clac_ctte/completed_inquiries/2004-07/inst_care/index.htm Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care ]