Kincumber Boys Home (St Joseph’s Orphanage)
Who would have thought the quiet Humphrey’s Road, Kincumber South, had an interesting history? Yet, beneath its tranquil facade lies tales of bygone eras. Now, as the modern world rushes by, the road remains a silent sentinel, guarding its enigmatic past from those who pass by unknowingly.
St Joseph's Orphanage, Kincumber, also known as Kincumber Boys Home, opened in 1887 and was run by Mary MacKillop’s Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart. It first housed boys aged 7 to 15, but by the 1970s accommodated boys and girls. More than 2,500 children passed through St Joseph's Orphanage by the time it closed in 1979.
Kincumber Boys' Home was established when Cardinal Patrick Moran donated a former presbytery at Kincumber to the Sisters of St Joseph. The first group of 22 boys were from the overcrowded city orphanage, The Providence, in The Rocks. They range from tiny boys of four and five to sturdy lads of 14. The “open air and better food was to put colour in their cheeks and flesh on their spare bodies.”
“They were an odd assortment of boys. From mixed descendent children to the varied offspring of European and Asiatic fathers. Frequently sailors who had either deserted their wives or had met with death in some distant part of the world. They had few ties of blood or friendship to care for the deserted wife and child and it was inevitable that eventually the child had to be taken to an orphanage.” (3)
In 1890, the Freeman’s Journal was reporting the St Joseph’s Orphanage, Kincumber was “one of the largest Catholic institutions of its kind in the Colonies” ….” The Orphanage is doing a large amount of good and useful work, in a humble & unostentatious way, and in time, will be the principal Catholic establishment in the Colonies.”
St Joseph Orphanage, Kincumber 1920
From 1892 to 1900, 236 boys were taken into the orphanage. The boys were schooled and taught the basic skills considered necessary for working class boys living a country life: farming, gardening, baking, dairying, cooking, and tailoring. Boys also worked on improving the site, which expanded both its size and facilities from the 1890s to the early 20th century.
An early orphanage boy had an interesting story of the working life at the orphanage (3). He frequently “accompanied some of the boys on their trips to Woy Woy or Merrit’s Wharf. The boys grew turnips, peas, beans, and cabbage. The peas or beans would be bagged and transferred, by a small rowboat, to Woy Woy station for dispatching to the markets. Four boys would comprise the crew, a 5th acting as ‘bailer’. Rowing past the brick Wharf (Woy Woy) the boat would be taken through the little passage to Woy Woy, this was before the channel was dredged, and landed on old jetty about 100 yards from the station. Mr Cameron was stationed master & would loan the little station trolley to carry the peas or beans to the platform. Parcels or passengers for the orphanage would be taken back on the return trip.”
On the days when only a parcel or two had to go to the station, or perhaps a parcel of altar wine had to be picked up, the boat would be left at brick Wharf and the boys would walk to the station.
Every three weeks the rowboat would pick up 10 bags of flour from the steamer at Merritt’s Wharf. Occasionally the boys would have to wait till 10:00pm if the steamer had been unable to cross the bar earlier on account of the tide. Every six weeks 15 sheep would also be brought to Merrit’s Wharf and transferred by row boat to the Orphanage. The sheep legs would be tied and on arrival, placed in an enclosure and slaughtered as required.”
From 1905, the Orphanage ran a ferry service on the Brisbane Waters, from Kincumber to Empire Bay, Davistown, and Woy Woy. There was a weekly service to Gosford. The name[s] of the ferries were Stella Maris, Killarney, and Southern Cross. Boys also gained the opportunity to work the ferry service, which was started in 1905 and ran until 1960, and learn navigational and other maritime skills.
In 1922 the Orphanage established a brass band, called “The Wonder Band” and played a prominent part in the district. It is interesting to note the Orphanage’s “Wonder Band” played at the opening of the Empire Bay public baths in 1925.
Kincumber Boy’s Home was closed in 1974 and the last boys left in 1977.
Today, the area is known as the St Joseph’s Spirituality and Education Centre, still run by the Sisters of Saint Joseph who continue that founding mission to relieve suffering and bring hope in today’s world. The Centre offers the opportunity for individuals and groups to experience spiritual enrichment and personal development in a peaceful and spacious setting.
By Robert Thompson
Sources: (1) Trove, various. (2) “Towards the Future” by John Dawes, (3) “The Brisbane Water Story” C. Swancott. (4) www.findandconnect.gov.au