I was a ward of the state. The horrors of the Parramatta Girls’ Home were legendary

Tue, 5 Dec 2023 14:10:04 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/i-was-a-ward-of-the-state-the-horrors-of-the-parramatta-girls-home-were-legendary-214567>

"Readers are advised this article discusses sexual abuse.

In the Sydney suburb of North Parramatta sits a cluster of very old buildings
known as the “Parramatta Female Factory Precinct”.

Built in 1821 to house and provide productive employment for the New South
Wales colony’s growing population of female convicts, it was also the site of
countless horrors – many of which occurred much more recently than you might
think.

The Australian government recently announced it will nominate the Parramatta
Female Factory in Sydney for World Heritage listing. It is a worthy nomination;
the site is deeply significant for the many wards of the state who survived
institutionalisation here or in other parts of Australia.

This precinct is by no means merely a relic of the convict era. Only 15 years
ago, part of the site was a women’s prison. And from 1887 to 1974, it housed
the notorious Parramatta Girls’ Home."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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