Melrose Training Farm for Boys

Melrose Training Farm for Boys history in brief

The Try Boys Society purchased a farm near Berwick in 1938 to house 30 boys and youths and train them in farming and agriculture.

The first boys came from another Try Boys Society facility, Clifden, at St Andrews. Later, boys were mostly referred by the courts. In 1956, the home accommodated 24 boys, including four wards. In August 1957, Melrose Boys Farm closed and the boys were transferred to other institutions or the care of parents and guardians.

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

Guide to out-of-home care services 1940–2000: volume one – agency descriptions, compiled by James Jenkinson Consulting, North Melbourne, November 2001.

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 / P0002

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 relating to the Melrose Farm for Boys is dated from 1941–57 and includes:

File VH 082 78:

• inspection report, 60-acre farm, 20-bed accommodation, includes names of resident boys and staff, 1941
• notification to department of vacancies, 1950
• application for establishment as an approved children’s home, 1955
• inspection report: facilities run-down; staff and some boys named; numbers of resident boys; poor record-keeping; reference to corporal punishment 1956
• declaration as an approved children’s home – new application required, 1957
• inspection report: generally favourable report; staff changes; references to alternatives to corporal punishment; mention of possibility of closure due to financial and staffing issues, 1957
• correspondence with Try Boys Society: new committee, seeking information and advice from the department; committee may be thinking of selling Melrose Farm, 1957
• superintendent and matron have walked out of the facility; Try Society advise that they will close Melrose Farm immediately, asking for removal of wards of state from the farm, 1957
• documentation relating to resident boys and where they will be or were sent, including some returned to parents, some to Tally Ho or other homes and organisations; 1957
• copy of Try Boys Society annual report 1953–54.