WARNING: This website contains confronting and disturbing content, and names and images of deceased people. It may not be suitable for children under 15 years. Many of the historical images show an official, sanitised view which did not reflect reality. The faces of some adolescents have been blurred to protect privacy.
Work and school
If you were a child in a children's home or institution, what did you do when you were at school, not at school – or sometimes instead of school?
Schooling was there for some, but not others. Sometimes it was there but children were too traumatised to take part.
Many institutions used the free labour of children to maintain the institution and keep the children 'busy', and for commercial gain.
Here are some recollections of that time by those who lived it.
'We were never children ...'
![Exhibition graphic panel of white handwritten text on a dark grey background reads 'It was our day to wash and polish the dining room floor ... Our knees were sore [from the washing] so we thought well, we’ll go and get some rags and put them on our feet and run up and down and polish the floor that way and have some fun. We got a hiding for it but we had fun', attributed to 'Heather Templeman, East Kew Home, Kew, Victoria, 1960s'.](https://www.nma.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0004/346414/templeman-quote-685w.jpg "Heather Templeman work quote")
![Exhibition graphic panel of black handwritten text on a cream background reads'This [staff member] rarely addressed us by name. When she wasn't calling us sluts or whores she called us by a number ... School was on the premises, but it was less than basic. While at Lynwood I learnt ballet ... It was my only joy', attributed to 'Caroline Carroll, Lynwood Hall, Guildford, New South Wales, 1960s'.](https://www.nma.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0003/348366/carroll_quote.JPG "Caroline Carroll ballet quote")
Historic footage from Bindoon Boys Town, Western Australia, 1944. National Film & Sound Archive
More
Caroline Carroll's 'Finally, we Forgotten Australians are believed' on The Age website
Michael O'Donoghue's 'Clontarf concrete' post on the Inside blog
Janice Konstantinidis and 'Life in the "The Mag"' on the Inside blog
Kerry Lowdon in the 'Who cares? report by Claire Halliday, 2004, The Age website
Rachel Romero's 'Momento of slavery' post on the Inside blog
Heather Templeman's 'Our day to clean the dining room floor' on the Inside blog
'Bad girls do the best sheets' report by Alan Gill, 2003, The Sydney Morning Herald website
Main image: Girls at the Havilah Little Children's Home, Wahroonga, New South Wales. Photographer unknown.