Newsletter 45, August 2023

Time to Renew Memberships

Membership of Friends of the Orphan Schools follows the financial year so if you haven't done so already it's time to renew!

Membership remains at $20 per annum and details of how to renew can be found at https://www.orphanschool.org.au/renewals.php

Development of St John's Park Site

In May this year the Tasmanian Government announced plans to 'transform St Johns Park in New Town into a contemporary Health and Wellbeing Precinct' starting with a Master Plan for the site.

The Department of Health's project team has contacted the Friends of the Orphan Schools with an invitation to have input to the master planning process.

More information about the Master Plan is available at the Department of health's website.

There will also be an update at the upcoming Annual General Meeting.

Annual General Meeting 2023

The Annual General Meeting of the Friends of the Orphan Schools Inc. will be held on Sunday 27 August 2023 at 2pm at the Old Sunday School, St John's Park Precinct.

Our speaker will be Lesley French, whose talk is entitled

"Look up at the stars: How Orphan School children Sarah and Thomas overcame the loss of their birth families and created their own."

The development plans for St John's Park will also be on the agenda.

Significant Trees at St John's Park

The Friends of the Orphan Schools committee is looking at significant trees in the St John's Park precinct. As a starting point, we have looked at the National Trust Significant Tree Register and the City of Hobart Significant Tree Register.

The National Trust Register includes 24 English oak trees ( quercus robur)in St John's Avenue. The Register notes that 'The English Oak Avenue at St John's Park is one of the most significant urban avenues in Tasmania and forms part of an early colonial institution of national importance'. [https://trusttrees.org.au/tree/TAS/New_Town/St_JohnS_Park]

The City of Hobart Register also lists a horse chestnut [ aesculus hippocastanum] at 12 St John's Avenue (near Creek Road), an English elm [ ulmus procera ] at 9 St John's Avenue, and the two English Oak trees [ quercus robur] either side of St Johns Church. ( https://www.hobartcity.com.au/Development/Planning/Significant-trees ).

The horse chestnut was planted on 19 May 1951 by Geoffrey Woodhouse to commemorate the Jubilee of the Commonwealth of Australia. It has a commemorative plaque.

Do you know of other trees at St John's Park which have historical significance? If so, please contact the Secretary.

Photo Bruce Woods

A Journalist's Visit in 1839

The Orphan School.

Having long had in contemplation a visit of inspection to this Establishment; we availed ourselves of the only leisure day, last week afforded, and early on Friday morning, proceeded thither, accompanied by an intelligent companion. The morning was fine, bracing and beautiful; and the School-house and Church; as we rode up to them, presented a very engaging object in the splendid landscape.

We were received with the most courteous attention and politeness, and, had not been in the building many minutes, before we were joined by the Head Master and Chaplain, the Rev. Mr. Naylor, who evinced every inclination, and facility, for giving us all possible information.

Everyone knows how pleasing an appearance the exterior of the building exhibits: we wish we could say as much of the interior: but this we cannot do, as the majority of the apartments, allotted to the use of the children, are cold, comfortless, and ill arranged, upon a most mistaken system of parsimonious economy. The washing places, or lavatories (to use a word more euphonous [sic] for the polite and learned ears of our court contemporary) are highly objectionable; they consist of cell-like rooms, paved with flags, with a stone trough in the centre, open at both ends, and consequently, extremely cold and comfortless.

Indeed, the prevalence of stone pavement, throughout the lower apartments of the building, is, in our humble opinion, highly detrimental to the health of the inmates; in one room, we saw five little fellows blue and shivering with cold; there was; it is true, a fireplace in the room, but no fire. In short, there seems to be no attempt at comfort for the boys, whose general appearance bespeaks abjectness and squalor. We have seen many assemblages of children in our time, both at home and abroad, but never did we see two hundred human beings that exhibited so squalid an appearance, as did the majority of the Queen's Orphans. Some half-dozen or so - and amongst these a black native boy - appeared intelligent and sprightly; but, the majority, as we have already observed; displayed a very different appearance.

The regulations are good, and the system of tuition, tolerable; but the teachers are too few, and too ill-paid for their labour. Due attention is paid to religious instruction; but we would suggest, that, instead of the morning devotion now used, and selected from the liturgy, a short series of appropriate prayers, after the plan of Christ's Hospital, in London, should be read. Perhaps the Archdeacon, who, we learn, is at the head of the Schools, will direct his attention to this subject. By the bye, has the Archdeacon lately visited the Orphan Schools?

The play-ground is too much exposed, and unsheltered, except on two sides by a sort of half-shed, which affords no cover for the children; there should be ample and extensively covered cloisters all round the ground, where the boys might exercise themselves in cold, or wet weather. The place is kept very clean, but too much labor is expended upon it, which might be remedied, if a better supply of water were provided; there should be a fountain in the centre of each playground, so that, in case of fire, or otherwise, there might be a full and adequate supply. There is a mistaken economy about the place, which fetters the officers of the Establishment in many essential points.

The salaries also are too small for the amount of duty which ought to be performed; that of Mr Mackay, the purveyor and storekeeper especially; the correct and admirable manner in which the accounts of the Establishment are kept demand the highest commendation. Mr Mackay, we should observe, was formerly and for many years, Quarter Master Serjeant in the 21st Regiment, and received from the officers, on the departure of the Regiment for India, a very flattering testimonial of esteem and approbation; he is an invaluable servant of the Establishment. The food is wholesome and well assorted, but we object altogether to the tea for breakfast; milk or good oatmeal porridge would be infinitely preferable; and tend to improve the looks of the children. It is however our intention to pay another visit to this interesting Institution; when we shall enter more minutely into its details; in the meantime we earnestly recommend the Government to abandon the too rigid economy at present used at the Orphan Schools and to pay rather more attention to the comfort of the poor helpless friendless beings thereby supported.

[Colonial Times(Hobart) 23 April 1839 p. 4] https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/8749624

Thanks to Richard Watson for this item from TROVE

Notes: The Reverend Naylor who received the visitors from the Colonial Times was Superintendent from 1835-1839. For an account of his clashes with other staff at the Orphan Schools see.

The Archdeacon of Hobart referred to in the article, Rev William Hutchins (1792-1841), lives on in the Hobart school of that name.

2023 Deadlines for Friends of the Orphan Schools newsletter articles

1 November 2023

Editor: Lisa Hutton
Publishing: Andrew Cocker

Contact us

Friends of the Orphan Schools
PO Box 4659, Bathurst Street PO
Hobart. TAS 7000

Email: secretary@orphanschool.org.au

Website: https://www.orphanschool.org.au/