Dictionary of Sydney

The Dictionary of Sydney was archived in 2021.

Royleston

Federation mansion which was converted by the State Children's Relief Board in 1922. It became a receiving home providing temporary accommodation for school-age boys who were waiting for children's court hearings or were state wards waiting to be placed in foster care or another institution. In 1936, 904 boys passed through its doors. It housed the Childrens Court from 1983 until 1992 when it was restored for holiday accommodation.

-33.873564525414, 151.18173985175

Name
Alternate
Royalston
Alternate
Royleston Depot
Alternate
Roylestone Home for Wayward and Abandoned Boys
Alternate
Roylstone Home for Crippled Children
Alternate
Tricketts
Alternate
Wahroonga
1897 - 1904
Position
1940 - 1945
1961 - 1963
1981 - 1983
Property
Occupied by
1897
Occupied by
1898
Owned by
1903 - 1904
Occupied by
1904 - 1920
Occupied by
1904 - 1920
Owned by
1922 -
Type

Royleston

CC BY-SA 2.0
,
2015

Royleston, like the nearby girls' institution, Bidura, served as a depot for children in the New South Wales Government child welfare system from 1922 until 1983 providing temporary accommodation for children in transit between children's court hearings, foster care and institutions. For many members of the Stolen Generations and Forgotten Australians, it was a harsh and loveless place.