Louise Place - History of St Joseph's Centre

History of St Joseph's Centre

Louise Place

The Sisters of St. Joseph commenced their work known as St. Joseph's Refuge to assist destitute women and unmarried mothers in a cottage at the corner of Franklin Street and West Terrace at Adelaide in South Australia. This property was known as the "residence of Captain Furniss", in 1867. Later, the Refuge was transferred to a rented cottage in Mitcham, then to Queen Street, Norwood, in 1872. These premises became too restricted and the grounds attached lacked both the privacy needed and adequate space for the residents.

A property known as the Fullarton Jam Factory, which stood on 11 acres of ground on the corner of Fullarton Road and Wattle Street, was purchased. The main support for the work was a public laundry located in buildings in which the jam had been made. Two cottages, stables and outhouses were also utilised.

A large building was erected on the premises and was opened by Lady Tennyson, wife of the Rt. Hon. Hallan Baron Tennyson, K.C.M.G., Governor of South Australia, after the blessing by Archbishop O'Reilly, in the presence of many distinguished guests on Saturday, 22nd September, 1901. Amongst the Sisters of St. Joseph in the official party was Mother Mary of the Cross (Mary MacKillop), their foundress.

The Sisters of St. Joseph continued to assist girls and women in need until October 1963, when the Daughters of Charity assumed responsibility for the St. Joseph's Centre.

At that time, the Centre served unmarried mothers, women requiring short or long term residential care, deserted wives and their children, and girls in need of protective care.

The then premier of S.A., Mr. Frank Walsh, visited the Centre sometime between 1963 and 1969. Partly as a result of this visit, social welfare benefits for single pregnant women were introduced. This fact had a large bearing on the gradual withdrawal, during 1971 and 1972, of the pregnant women from working in the laundry (until the introduction of these benefits, the laundry's profits were the only means of financial support for the Centre), as well as the fact that this was no longer socially acceptable.

The commercial laundry functioned until 1975, when the cost of maintenance, updating of equipment and general increase in running costs (including the employment of paid staff to replace the pregnant women) indicated that the operation was no longer serving its purpose of providing an income for the Centre. In 1977, the laundry section of the property was sold, as well as a large section on the eastern end, enabling a commencement to be made on new residential units and a refurbishing of the main building.

With a change of Administrator in late 1970, and the availability of social work services, the entire programming of the Centre was re-assessed and a ten year plan was set up to enhance education, counselling and after-care, and to bring St. Joseph's more in touch with the wider community.

By 1988, this plan, as well as other initiatives, had been completely realised through:

In 1970, individual counselling was made available for the women, for families and for couples. During 1971, information nights were established, group counselling sessions were introduced for the women, for parents, and for young couples. With the advent of social work services came invitations to speak to schools and community groups, trainee doctors and nurses, etc, and this work continues.

An educational programme was established, with the assistance of The Correspondence School and volunteer teachers for academic subjects. During the 70s, significant shifts were noted in the lowering ages of young women coming to the Centre, leading to the need for a registered high school. An Innovation Grant to establish a formal high school was received at the end of 1977. The school was registered in 1981, and its registration continues as St. Joseph's High School.

Because of the increase in the numbers of women keeping their babies, an after-care programme of visiting was commenced in late 1975. Unfortunately, this service was discontinued in 1992 but Outreach services established in 1999 have meant that young women are are once again able to be visited in their homes.

Day classes specifically for mothers, with child-care provided, were begun in a tentative way in third term 1981. A transportable building was provided by the Minister of Education through the Catholic Education Office in late 1982 to be used for child-care and parenting education, but this was not put into use until the beginning of the 1984 school year, with substantial grants from the Schools Commission to set it up. The transportable classroom is now used as the Day Centre.

The residential units were built in 1978, offering more comfortable accommodation in single rooms and a greater degree of privacy.

In 1983, the two previously separate academic and craft-oriented programmes were integrated into one total programme to give the women a wider choice of subjects and to co-ordinate the programme into a unity.

Also in 1983, a unit was leased in Unley for use as transition accommodation, and was used as such until 1984, when a unit at Highgate was offered to the Centre to be leased for this purpose at a very reasonable rate. The Highgate unit was used until the end of 1989.

The Centre was a recipient of Participation and Equity Programme grants for two years, and through this offered Parenting Courses during 1985 and 1986 at the Centre and in Salisbury and the city under the auspices of St. Joseph's Centre and in collaboration with Salisbury Shopfront and Second Story.

From March 1987 until the end of 1988, respire care and holidays were offered to pregnant women and mothers with children at Seacliff. Also from about that time until mid-1989, use was made of a large home at Plympton to house up to three mothers and babies (the mothers being over 18 years of age) as a transition unit between St. Joseph's and their own accommodation.

Equipment has been added to and updated over a number of years through grants and donations.

From 1970 until 30th June 1992, staff increased as follows:

Social Workers	from 1 to 3
Teachers	from volunteers only to 11 paid staff
Clerical staff	from 1 full time to 1 full time and 2 part time
Child Care	from none to 2 paid staff and 2 volunteers

In late 1991, a review of the role of the Centre was conducted by a tea