St Vincent’s Orphanage, Nudgee

St Vincent’s Orphanage, in Nudgee, Brisbane was established in 1867 and operated by the Brisbane Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy. The institution changed its name in 1935 to St Vincent’s Children’s Home and operated under that name until its closure in 1971.

Like many institutions around Australia, St Vincent’s Orphanage has become infamous for the ill-treatment of many of the children who were placed at the orphanage. The establishment of the orphanage was based on the Christian belief of helping the unfortunate, but as the Forde Commission of Inquiry into Abuse of Children in Queensland in 1991 found, the opposite usually occurred. The orphanage was run by the Sisters and other lay staff who were largely untrained in childcare work and who built a regime of obedience and commanded by severe discipline and punishment. For example, runaways from the St Vincent’s were usually beaten on return and children were usually caned for making mistakes during learning activities. Sexual abuse was also prevalent in the orphanage due to children being left in the power of untrained lay staff such as older boys who became employees at the orphanage and who were largely given the run of the orphanage, with little or no control by the Sisters.

Moody Law invites former victims of sexual and physical abuse at St Vincent’s Orphanage to tell us confidentially what information they may have, and we will explain what options are available to help with these cases.

Call us or complete the confidential enquiry form below.