To meet a situation that called loudly for attention, the Rockhampton Benevolent Society rented a house in 1867, six years after it was formed, to accommodate orphans and destitute children. In 1869 a temporary orphanage was established. Because it was impractical to continue the orphanage after the admission of a number of children to the Brisbane Orphanage, the temporary orphanage was closed in 1870.

Mr. and Mrs. F. Hopkins then started a Children’s Home and orphans were accommodated there at a cost of 6/- (60c) each per week. Mrs Cable was in charge. This place did not fully meet the needs of the children and correspondence was opened with the government. This resulted in a grant of 10 acres (4 hectares) of land in 1870 and £1,000 ($2,000) for an orphanage on one of the spurs of the Athelstane Range (now 124 Quarry Street). It was opened in 1871 with 30 children. In 1874-5 a new wing was added and as many as 53 children were maintained. The greater number of orphans were children of parents unable to support them.

The first lady superintendent was Mrs. E. Barker who had varied and extensive experience, having sailed 10 times between England and Australia in charge of immigrants and been connected with the Ambulance Department of the Crimea, when operating before Sebastopol. Dr Harricks was the first visiting medical officer.

Children old enough were sent to school and the younger ones were instructed by Miss Hindebrandt. Boys and girls were sent out to situations from as young an age as 10. By 1886 this age had been increased to 12.

The Benevolent Society supported a Rockhampton Nursery for a short time in 1882/3 with Mrs Geraldine Stuart running the facility starting off in Alma Street and then in Bolsover Street at the Rockhampton Lyceum building.

A boarding out system was commenced in 1888. It was first tried on a limited scale and hired out children were placed in good homes.

The State Orphanage Act of 1911 repealed the Orphanage Act of 1879, under which the orphanages, including the Rockhampton Orphanage, became a receiving depot for Protestant children. In 1894 the orphanage was renamed the Rockhampton Receiving Depot.

The first matron of the receiving home was Miss Holmes, who had 10 years’ experience at the Diamantina Orphanage. Matron E. Walsh occupied the position for over 19 years. Matron Newman who was on the staff for 25 years, including some years as matron, preceded her.

A new building was erected in 1912. The age of discharge from control of orphan children was raised from 16 to 17. That age was eventually increased to 18.

From 1964-1967 the orphanage was called Birralee Children’s Home. From 1967-1981 it was named the Birralee Receiving and Assessment Centre and from 1981-1982 it was the Birralee Hostel.

Sources: https://findandconnect.gov.au -

• The Development of Rockhampton and District, by A.E. Hermann

• “Good and Wise Work”: The Rockhampton Benevolent Society, 1866-1916: The First 50 Years by Helen Griffin Trove

By Margaret Slatter Wooler

In September 1992 a reunion was held on the site of where the old orphanage once stood. We greeted many long lost friends then ambled down to where the Girls Home used to be and proceeded to rebuild the place with our memories. Looking back at those years we decided they were OK, even if we didn't think so at the time. We had a roof over our heads, wholesome food, education, clean clothes and we were taught that there were people much worse off than we were.

In 1951 I was just eight years old, when my mother was killed and the decision was made that my two brothers, Eddie aged seven, Desmond aged three and I were to be placed in an orphanage.

"Orphanage" - we didn't even know what the word meant, let alone how our lives were about to change. We were taken first to "The Depot" now known as Biralee, while we waited to be sent to St George's homes at Parkhurst just outside Rockhampton. The sight of those four houses on the hill, filled is with sorrow and tears but Mr Patterson, who was the Head of the State Children's Department here in Rockhampton, was a very nice grandfatherly type and calmed us down a lot.

The first home was the Girls Home, second was the Boys Home, the third was vacant and the fourth was the home of the Superintendent. The school we attended was the Parkhurst State School.

We had to adjust to a whole new world. Our bedtime was between 7 and 7.30 and we greeted the new day every morning at 6am Summer and Winter. We all had jobs allotted to us such as scrubbing and polishing floors. Bathroom duties (including bathing the younger kids) and Kitchen duties. the pine floors in the dormitories were so clean you could eat off them and the polished floor in the dining room shone like glass. We all worked hard but in good company. Our mattresses were of fibre and when they went flat it was the job of the older girls to "tease" them back up again.

When it was your turn to get a newly "teased" mattress you thought you were "King Pin" being so high up above the rest of the girls. We also had our own version of today's Doona but we called them woggas. They were made by the older girls who sewed together old army coats and other heavy material that had been donated to the Home. We turned out some strange looking, but very warm, bed covers.

Our meals consisted if Breakfast - bran, Pollard and Salt ( we called it Chook food); School Lunch - 4 slabs (slices) of Bread, usually jam, Beetroot, Vegemite or Fat; Tea - Meat, Veges and a pudding of Sago, Tapioca or bread and butter. I can remember friends of our Matron, Mr & Mrs Heaslip, sometimes brought us peanuts and pineapples. Then the big day came, excitement rung throughout the halls - "Sugar coated cornflakes for breakfast", we had never tasted anything so scrumptious. Over the years things changed, the Girls kitchen closed down and we had our meals in the Boys home. We had our milk ration increased, butter on our bread instead of fat and toast instead of bread for breakfast.

On weekends we had to have an afternoon nap and when we were out and about, the front and boys side of the Girls Home was out of bounds. this rule was dropped when Rotary presented us with Playground Equipment, although the boys and girls didn't use the equipment together except for one day a week. We girls made ourselves up a Basket Ball Court using hoes and lime for the lines.

School was pretty good. Tuesdays we went into Rocky to the Swimming Baths, where Scotia Place is now, and our Head Teacher, Mr Roy Childs, taught us to swim. On Fridays the Grade 8 boys and girls attended the Technical College in Bolsover Street where the boys learned woodwork and the girls did domestic Science. Failure to pass your Scholarship in grade 8 meant the boys were put out to work on farms and the girls placed with families as domestics. After Scholarship at age 14, I got a job in the Laundry of the Home. It took two of us to run the laundry and I will never forget the thrill of my first pay-packet, I had never had money of my very own before.

Church was held every Thursday morning at the Chapel in the Boys Home with a minister from St Barnabus Church, North Rocky conducting the service. We were all confirmed as soon as we were of a certain age. A church was later built in the grounds but by that time I had left.

I must admit the girls had it a lot easier than the boys did. Our Matron, Miss Elfreda Cooke saw to it that we were never bored. she let us 'get away' with a fair bit - within reason of course and she would change our duties every week so we all learned to do different types of work. One of the relief Matrons taught us to knit, something that came in handy when I had my own children.

We had special days through the year when we would attend the Inter-school Sports Day, the lakes Creek Picnic, Military Picnic, Masonic Hall Xmas Party and an occasional trip to the Picture Theatre. and of course we had our own Xmas Play at the orphanage and received a few little Xmas presents. Once a year St George's Homes celebrated a "Birthday Tea" when relatives and friends would visit the orphanage. there was much excitement and we all delighted in showing how neat and clean we kept our lockers and our dormitories.

Forty years later standing there my childhood friends, the emotions were running deep. Our lives had brought good times as well as bad and we all agreed that things could have been a lot tougher on us if we hadn't had St George's Homes to turn to.