Friends of the Orphan Schools in New Town, Tasmania, Australia | Landmark

Friends of the Orphan Schools

Locality: New Town, Tasmania, Australia

Address: St John's Park Precinct 7008 New Town, TAS, Australia

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

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• Landmark & historical place
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25.01.2022 Are you interested in attending a special tour of St John's Church? The Friends of the Orphan Schools will be running presentations about the architecture, history and features of the 1834 church, on Sunday 28 July from 2-4pm. You will see images of hidden and inaccessible parts of the building, followed by a guided tour of the church building. Tours are $20 and incudes afternoon tea. Bookings are essential. Please visit our website to register:... https://www.orphanschool.org.au/register_tour.php See more

25.01.2022 Have you heard of From the Shadows? This significant sculptural installation will highlight the stories of children who spent time at the Queens Orphan Schools. Find out more about the project in the link below:

24.01.2022 Since the 1830s, St John's Park has been home to orphans, war veterans, polio victims, tuberculosis patients, the children of convicts, elderly residents, convict workers and just a few farm animals. If you would like to learn more about the area's rich history, or connect with the stories of the past, consider joining one of our tours. More information can be found on our website: https://www.orphanschool.org.au/coming.php

24.01.2022 Each building at the St John's Park Precinct has a story. If the walls could talk, you would hear stories of the men, women and children who lived and worked inside these structures. They would tell you stories of the convicts and labourers who built the walls and constructed the foundations. Finally you would be told about the people behind the beautiful architecture and design. One of these stories is about how former Orphan School child Robert Wiggins constructed the Infant School building pictured below. While the buildings can't talk, their history still lives on in the knowledge of our skilled tour guides. Consider joining one of our tours to hear their many tales. Visit our website for more information: https://www.orphanschool.org.au/coming.php

23.01.2022 This huge book sale next weekend has been organised by From the Shadows inc. All proceeds will go towards the community-based project From the Shadows, which aims to fund new statues from renowned sculpture Rowan Gillespie to be installed at the Cascade Female Factory and the Orphan Schools site in New Town.

22.01.2022 In 1939 the Tasmanian Government had plans to demolish the Orphan School buildings at St John's Park but with the outbreak of the Second World War, it was soon declared too costly to pull the buildings down. Almost 80 years later the buildings still survive, as do the many stories of the children and staff members who lived and worked within the building's walls. To learn more about the rich history of the Orphan Schools, consider joining one of our tours : https://www.orphanschool.org.au/coming.php

22.01.2022 In 2018, Tasmania celebrated 100 years of public education in in the state. Celebrations are continuing into 2019. Have a read of the article below to see how the Orphan Schools fit into the history of Tasmanian education.

21.01.2022 Please show your support for From the Shadows Inc., which aims to raise funds to commemorate the untold story of 13,000 convict women and 6,000 Orphan School children (including 2,000 children who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land on convict ships) in the early 19th century through the installation 3 high quality sculptures by world-renowned artist Rowan Gillespie, depicting the story of female convicts and the children at the Orphan Schools. One statue of a convict woman will be placed at the World Heritage-listed Cascades Female Factory in South Hobart and two statues; one of an orphan boy and another of an orphan girl; will be placed the Orphan Schools site at New Town.

21.01.2022 Our tour guides uncover the stories of the clergymen, convicts, orphans and prominent parishioners who have frequented St John's Church since the 1830s. They will invite you to peak behind doors, clamber up stairs and gaze into the rafters of this historically significant building. Consider joining one of our tours to find out more. Information about tour booking can be found on our website: https://www.orphanschool.org.au/coming.php

19.01.2022 Colonial architect and engineer John Lee Archer specified that St John's Church and the Orphan School buildings would require 40,500 feet of stringy bark to construct planks, joists, boards and rafters. If you join us on a tour of the site, our knowledgeable guides will provide you with the site's fascinating architectural history and you might even glimpse some of the original wooden features for yourself. Please visit our web site for more information about tours, or to make a booking: https://www.orphanschool.org.au/coming.php

19.01.2022 Did you know that the St John’s Park Precinct has its own story of quarantine and social isolation? The Precinct includes two chalets that remain from the Tasmanian Sanatorium which operated from 1905-1945. The Sanatorium consisted of small chalets for housing Tuberculosis patients. The aim of the chalets was to provide treatment to those who couldn’t afford it and to remove infected people away from their communities by limiting the spread of the disease. The two remaining chalets have been restored and form part of the rich history of the Orphan Schools site.

12.01.2022 This year marked the 190th anniversary of the founding of the Orphan Schools and on Sunday 25th February 2018, the Friends of the Orphans Schools met to commemorate Fox's Feast. Fox’s Feast acknowledges the contribution of former convict, John Fox, whose bequest funded a traditional summer picnic day for the children of the Orphan Schools. This year's Feast began in South Wing- formally the Girl's Orphan School and was opened by Rob Valentine MLC. A highlight of the event was short presentations by four orphan descendants, who shared their stories about their ancestors.

09.01.2022 Have you heard of From the Shadows? This significant statue installation by Irish sculptor Rowan Gillespie will acknowledge the convict women and their free children who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land from 1803 to 1853. Nearly 6,000 children, mostly the children of convicts, were admitted to the Orphan Schools from 1828 to 1879. To raise money for From the Shadows, David Boon has been embarked on some fund raising runs. Today was David's second run, which he dedicated to the memory of the children who spent time in the Queens Orphan Schools. To find out more about this amazing fund raising effort or to donate, click on the link below:

08.01.2022 This picture shows the girls’ side of the Queen’s Orphan Schools. The schools ran from 1833-1879 and taught female orphans reading and writing as well as domestic skills, needlework and knitting. Did you know that samples of the girls’ knitted gloves, shawls, socks and stockings were sent to London in 1851 and were displayed in the Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace? You can find the exhibition description on page 180 of the Exhibition catalogue.

06.01.2022 Every year the Friends of the Queen's Orphan Schools celebrate Fox's Feast, an annual picnic celebration that was organised for the children at the Queen's Orphan Schools. The picnic was named after John Fox; a convict who arrived in Van Diemen's Land as a convict in 1822 at the age of 19. It was stated on his convict record that he was an orphan and was generally regarded as a man of bad character. John Fox received his conditional pardon in 1838 and died at the age of 60 ...in 1859. With no children of his own, John Fox stated in his will that he wished 480 pounds to the children of the Queen's Orphan Schools. To celebrate Fox's legacy the Queen's Orphan Schools organised an annual picnic which became known as Fox's Feast. If you would like to join us for Fox's Feast 2020, please see our event details https://www.facebook.com/events/739095619951673/

04.01.2022 Have you considered joining a tour of St John's Park? Our knowledgeable guides share a range of fascinating stories about the men, women and children who have lived and worked in this area since the 1830s. They also introduce you to significant buildings such as St John's Church and point out the small traces of history that still remain within their walls. To find out more about our tours, visit: https://www.orphanschool.org.au/coming.php