St. John's Orphanage

Main entry and southwestern wing of the building

Gate entrance of St. John's Orphanage

The building was two storeys high and includes an attic and basement. All walls are made of brick, some of which are hollow (mainly the external ones). The roof tiles were red, and the balconies have iron railings. The exterior design was plain struck brickwork, reassured by red bricks and cut stone. The entrance block was located on the westerly end of the front. Because of a sudden fall in the land, the pavement is several feet above the natural surface which necessitated a flight of stone steps towards the entrance. The main doors to the building had two windows alongside them and form a porch. The easterly end of the building had a balcony and a verandah, which were both 3.04 metres (10.0 ft).[4] Away from the building, a milking shed existed.[6] In addition, 3 hectares (7.4 acres) of land was purchased, which contained an ample field suitable enough for all types of gardening.[4]

The entrance hall was 2.45 metres (8.0 ft) with a tiled floor. The reception room was located on the right-hand side of the entrance hall. A moulded archway led to the staircase hall, with the stairs being at right angles to the entrance doors. Rooms formerly accessed from this hallway include the cellar, a sitting room which is 3.65 by 3.04 metres (12.0 by 10.0 ft) in size, a children's study room that is 6 metres (20 ft) by 6 metres and a children's refectory that was 9.1 metres (30 ft) by 6 metres. A back door led to verandahs that were found at the back of the building that allowed access to various other rooms. A second staircase, surrounded by brick walls, acted as an escape route in case of a fire. The staircase floor was the colour of cement and is made out of hardwood with iron risers. The staircase also provided access to the chapel room, which was 6.7 metres (22 ft) by 6 metres.[4]

Entrance archway

Other rooms on the ground floor include a clothes room, a 6 by 5.5-metre (18 ft) community room, a 6 by 4.2-metre (14 ft) kitchen, a 2.13-metre (7.0 ft) by 2.1-metre pantry and a 7.6-metre (25 ft) by 3.65-metre lavatory. Bathrooms and shower bathrooms were fitted with hot and cold showers that are controlled from the lavatory. The laundry is 6.4 by 3.3 metres (21.0 by 10.8 ft) with copper and tubs; the laundry also had a heater that supplied the whole building with hot water. The block which contained the sanitary requirements for the building was connected by a covered way and is well ventilated by air shafts, latticed doors, and louvres. Underground, a brick, cemented tank was built to collect and store rainwater.[4]

The second floor of the building contained a number of dormitories: a large, 18.2-metre (60 ft) by 6-metre dormitory existed with a 3-metre-wide (9.8 ft) balcony on one side and a 1.83-metre (6.0 ft) wide balcony on the other. A smaller, 9.1-metre by 6-metre dormitory was also present, as well as a 6-metre by 4.2-metre isolating room. Four bedrooms were designated for the Sisters of Mercy who were in charge of the building; these rooms were 3.65 metres by 3.04 metres and 3.96 metres (13.0 ft) by 2.74 metres (9.0 ft) respectively. The Sisters also had their own private bathroom. Almost every room in the building had a fireplace, surrounded by either bricks or a marble mantel and cement shelf. The ceilings on both floors were 3.96 metres high, and the whole building was fitted with electric lighting. The ceiling on the second floor was made out of plaster, whereas the ceiling on the first floor was made out of stamped steel.[4]

In 1905, an orphanage located nearby Kenmore Asylum was proposed at a general meeting of parishioners to replace an older orphanage that had been operating for more than 25 years on Clinton Street. The orphanage, which had catered to girls only, cared for approximately 50 girls per year, and the 0.2-hectare (0.49-acre) of land on which it was situated proved insufficient for the orphans. Thus, 24.28-hectare (60.0-acre) of land was purchased in nearby Kenmore for the proposed orphanage.[4][7] Shortly after, the foundation stone was laid and blessed on the site. EC Manfred was the building's architect, and the contractors were Messrs. King and Armstrong. It was described as "severely simple Gothic" and cost £6,000 to build.[lower-alpha 2][4][9] All of the girls from the old orphanage were removed, and boys aged eight and older were moved there and waited for a permanent home. An effort was made for people from Albury, Cootamundra, Wagga Wagga, Young and other places to take charge of the orphanage, but this was unsuccessful. Instead, the orphanage was established in Goulburn.[4]

Foundation stone of the St. John's Orphanage

On 17 March 1912, the foundation stone of the orphanage was laid and blessed by Bishop Gallagher of Goulburn.[1][10][11] However, the orphanage was not opened officially until December 1913, when the opening ceremony was held on a Sunday afternoon, and the building was opened and blessed by Bishop Gallagher.[4][12] The ceremony attracted a large audience, many of whom were not members of the Catholic Church. By 3:30 p.m., the Australian Light Horse Band began marching towards the orphanage from a cathedral on Verner Street. The priests and the bishop brought up the rear walking behind several Catholic acolytes. While many attendees remained at the orphanage, hundreds walked along with the procession. Children who had marched with the procession were divided and formed a guard of honour. The bishop, who was accompanied by Father Cahill, entered the building and preceded to bless it; a crucifix was subsequently placed in the main dormitory of the building. After the blessing, the bishop addressed the attending crowd from the front verandah, and discussed the use of the building.[4] In addition, the Bishop went on to say that Pagan civilisations consign orphans to death or slavery:[13]

The scarcely less cruel civilisation of our age, too, often handed them over to the State, and through the State to secular education, without consolations of religion, or hopes of blessed immortality. But within the bosom of the Catholic Church, God, who tempered the wind to the shorn lamb, took compassion on the outcast and the orphan of the Catholic faith. Catholic generosity, aided by a spirit of philanthropy, charity, genuine and Christian altruism, which still happily reigned throughout the Australian Commonwealth, would not permit orphans to perish of hunger, thirst, or nakedness, even though the Governments refused to assist them because they went to confession or formed upon their breasts the Sign of the Cross, or offered prayer to God.

— Bishop Gallagher of Goulburn.

The orphanage in its early years, 1919

The orphanage was run by the Sisters of Mercy and the Catholic Church until its closure in 1978.[14][15] Shortly after opening, the orphanage experienced an increased demand for admission leading to the construction of a west wing and chapel in 1919. However, it remained unfurnished for some time due to lack of funding, and the Sisters of Mercy subsequently refused admission.[16][17][18] A new wing for the building was constructed in 1924 dedicated to the memory of Bishop Gallagher. The new wing was opened and blessed by Reverend J. Barry; additional classrooms and dormitories were built, being 18.2 m (60 ft) by 7.6 m (25 ft) in size, followed by furnishing, painting and connection of sewer lines. The total cost was approximately £2,676.[19] In 1932, a milking shed and hall were built, and in 1938 new additions to the orphanage were added, costing £2,575. This included a modification and extension to the south wing.[6][18][20] The orphanage endured minor damage in 1943 when a fire broke out just after midnight and destroyed quantities of firewood and two panels of fencing.[21]

Throughout its 66 years of operating, the orphanage took in approximately 2,500 individuals. Approximately four per cent of all boys who stayed there were orphans, whereas the remainder had living parents; most of them either came from poor or troubled families who were unable to afford to look after them. The orphanage also took in child migrants.[22] Only boys from the ages of 5 to 16 were taken care there. However, the Sisters of Mercy sometimes took in families in need or individuals who were 3 years old or younger. One of the Sisters of Mercy's aims was to keep brothers together if possible, and if they had sisters, they would be housed at the St. Joseph's Orphanage.[14] Although the building could only house up to 100 boys, the capacity rose to between 140 and 250 boys during the Second World War, far above the suitable capacity of the building.[14][23]

In 1975, the orphanage began taking in girls from the St. Joseph's Orphanage due to declining numbers of boys, and, in 1976, amalgamated with the orphanage; this formed the St. John's Home, which would close in 1987.[24][25] After 66 years in operation, the building closed in 1978. The remaining orphans were put into group homes.[26] The Sisters of Mercy continued to care for these orphans until those homes closed in 1981. From 1979 to 1994, the building was leased to the Youth with a Mission Base, where people travelled from overseas to pursue discipleship training courses. The building has since been abandoned and left to deteriorate.[18] In 2007, a proposal was made by former orphanage resident Jim Luthy to erect a memorial in Victoria Park for "all children who lived all or part of their lives" in a Goulburn orphanage or a church institution.[27]

A room on the second floor. Graffiti and abandoned furniture are commonly seen throughout the complex

Before the demolition of the buildings, the orphanage had been heavily vandalised, with surrounding residents regularly calling the police because the sounds of windows smashing and people entering without permission can be heard and seen frequently.[41] Small grass fires around the building had also been reported.[42][43][44] Restorations have been considered by the Goulburn City Council. The council is holding Ferrara accountable for allowing damage at the orphanage, while he has come up with many development projects for the lot.[45] As a result, city council has not issued Ferrara any development permits until restoration work to the orphanage is complete.[46]

Ferrara has proposed a number of redevelopments for the orphanage itself, and its surroundings. In 2004, he proposed a plan to redevelop the lot and building into 63 residential units. The proposed redevelopment was known as Glebe Gardens. Ferrara planned the construction of gardens and pools on the vacant grounds, but the front of the complex would face no development.[18] Although the development application was approved by the city council, the plans were dropped because the costs to redevelop the lot were too great.[35] In 2009, work began to revamp the orphanage and convert it into a retirement village, with trees being cleared to construct a retaining wall. Two-metre-high walls were going to be built to keep vandals out and to prevent further damage. He also stated that he was going to the fix up the orphanage once the proposed townhouses were under construction.[47]

In 2012, Ferrara proposed a new project to build 76 units and homes in seven stages; these stages would have spanned three to four years. Ferrara undertook a joint venture with Peter Madew, who was to assist with funding and the management needed for the construction. They also proposed restoration efforts to the orphanage, which included painting, repairing holes in walls, and replacing windows. They also planned to restore the front garden, commence general landscaping, construct a recreation area, and build a number of units in the orphanage itself; an indoor swimming pool was proposed for construction in the courtyard. However, Madew claimed that restoration of the orphanage would "cost millions".[35] Ferrara later announced that he would not go ahead with the redevelopment, but instead lodge a new plan: this plan would foresee the construction of 18 new dwellings on the lot. This was objected to by the council should the building remain in its current deteriorating state. Ferrara responded by stating he would commit funds from his profits towards the building's restoration, at a cost of least $1.5 million.[48] In late 2013, Ferrara proposed another development on the lot which would see the construction of 15 residential units. However, the Goulburn Mulwaree Council has demanded that Ferrara must schedule repairs to the orphanage before any approval can be granted. In response, Ferarra pledged to spend $250,000 on restoration works, covering downpipe, guttering, and roof repairs, as well as window replacements and external painting.[5]

In November 2015, a fire, believed to have been left unattended by squatters, ignited the roof just before 4:00 p.m. It took approximately six hours to extinguish the fire, during which 80% of the roof was damaged. Much of the roof collapsed, exposing the timber frame skeleton, and some rooms were completely destroyed.[49][50] Moments before the building caught on fire, there were unconfirmed reports that a loud bang was heard.[41] The Goulburn Heritage Group stated that they were "upset and sickened" by the fire, and Ferrara responded by saying that he was disappointed, and that the building was not insured.[39][51][52] Ferrara has stated that he will try to preserve the building, and estimates the damage costs at $4 million to $5 million.[53] In 2016, another fire occurred in a building at the rear of the main structure, causing extensive damage. The building, which was revealed to be the old hall built in 1932, was deemed not salvageable; it was subsequently scheduled for demolition.[54][55] Following the fire, the council ordered Ferrara to secure both the site and loose building materials such as roof iron.[56] The fire was treated as suspicious, as witnesses claim that two people wearing backpacks were running from the building just before the fire occurred.[57] Following the second fire, a third fire occurred in the building, in which a large portion of the building was completely destroyed.[58]

In July 2021, the Goulburn Mulwaree Council ordered the remains of the former orphanage to be completely demolished.[59] Demolition of the structure took place in early-mid 2023.

• Penglase, J. (2007). Orphans of the Living - Growing up in 'care' in Twentieth-century Australia. Fremantle, Western Australia: Fremantle Press. ISBN 978-1-920731-66-3.
• "Legislation, Council Plan, Strategies and Policy Impacts" (PDF). Ballarat Government. Government of Victoria. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2014.