Organisation Elizabeth Fry Retreat (1884 - 1986)

The Elizabeth Fry Retreat in South Yarra was a Home was 'fallen women' established by the Quaker, Sarah Swinborn, who served as its honorary secretary, superintendent and treasurer. It was named after Elizabeth Fry, an early Quaker migrant to the colonies).

Money to run the Retreat was partly raised by an on-site laundry operated by the women. The residents ranged in age from under 20 to 50 years plus, usually aged 30 years and over.

The Elizabeth Fry Retreat announced its affiliation with Melbourne Citymission in 1944. It described itself during this period as offering a home for 'friendless and wayward women and girls'. By this time, the residents coming to the Retreat were generally younger and, over time, the older residents moved to aged care facilities.

Under the management of the Mission, the Retreat was maintained as a 'home for wayward girls', retaining its commercial laundry operations to provide employment for the young women and funds for the facility. This work was unpopular and not many of the young women saw their future in domestic work. Many were wards of the State referred by the Children's Welfare Department.

During the late 1950s, the Children's Welfare Department reduced referrals to Elizabeth Fry Retreat, using instead its own new facility, Winlaton, for girls who had offended or were seen to be 'at risk'. The Retreat was then often used by police as a refuge for girls not yet part of the Child Protection system.

Around this time, Melbourne Citymission took the opportunity to change the focus of Elizabeth Fry Retreat. It was renamed Swinborn Lodge in 1957, to prevent residents being stigmatised by the associations with the Elizabeth Fry Retreat. The laundry operations ceased and the space was used for new bedrooms. Work focussed on the emerging needs of vulnerable young women in the 1950s and '60s.

By the 1960s and early 1970s, Swinborn Lodge was providing hostel accommodation for girls, often coming from Winlaton, and often disturbed and alienated by their life experiences. Living in the hostel setting was difficult for the girls and for the staff, and staff turnover was high.

Girls were referred by the Youth Welfare and Female Probation and Parole Divisions of the Social Welfare Department, policewomen, the Children's Court and other agencies. The centre also provided emergency accommodation for girls who were not Wards of State.

In 1972, the Community Welfare Foundation (the new name of the Melbourne Citymission) proposed a new focus and new location for the hostel. The Mission's old central office in Carlton was modified and the new hostel opened in 1974. Swinborn Lodge now functioned as a 'specialist hostel' providing professional residential and support services for girls on Children's Court orders with quite serious personal or social challenges. In 1979 the facility's name was changed to 'Swinborn' and the term 'Lodge' dropped.

By the early 1980s, Melbourne Citymission (the agency had reverted to its original name) was exploring ways to reduce the number of young people placed at Swinborn and a supported community placement scheme was introduced. Concerns were also being expressed about the size of Swinborn, its institutional nature and high maintenance costs. Due to these issues and other pressures, Swinborn's residential and community placement programs were seen as services of the past and closed in 1986.

Some Swinborn staff and functions were transferred to a new emergency accommodation and housing service called 'Stopover' established by the Melbourne Citymission in Carlton.

Some records relating to the Elizabeth Fry Retreat are held by the University of Melbourne Archives (Accession numbers 89/90; 97/129 and single item accession 95/129).

Events

1884 - 1974?

The Elizabeth Fry Retreat (later known as Swinborn Lodge) was situated in Argo Street, South Yarra. Location: South Yarra

1974 - 1986

Swinborn Lodge was situated in Carlton. Location: Carlton

Books

• Malone, Betty, Bonds of care: Elizabeth Fry Retreat and its founders, Prahran Historical and Arts Society, Prahran, Vic., 1991. Details

Newspaper Articles

• 'Christmas Appeals: special need for help', The Argus, In this article, various charitable institutions in Melbourne are mentioned and their requests for Christmas charity, 14 December 1916. Details

Reports

• James Jenkinson Consulting, Guide to out-of-home care services, 1940-2000, This Guide was originally developed in 2001, and its content revised as a result of DHS's 'Update Project' in 2007-2009, Department of Human Services, Unpublished. Details

Online Resources

• Melbourne City Mission, 12 July 2005, http://www.lib.unimelb.edu.au/collections/archives/collections/pdfs/mcm.pdf. Details