Donated Object Story – Jimmy the Bear

 Jimmy the Bear

When the Australian Orphanage Museum officially opened on Saturday, 1 April 2023, a woman stopped in on her way to catch the Spirit of Tasmania ferry from North Geelong. She carried with her a very special companion.

Her name was Renata. As children, she and her sister spent time at Dalwood Children’s Home in Seaforth, New South Wales. One day, when her sister returned from foster care, she brought with her a large teddy bear—a gift that somehow escaped the usual fate of toys in Homes, which were often taken away.

That bear, named Jimmy, remained with Renata’s sister throughout her childhood in the Home, and she kept him for the rest of her life. After her passing, Jimmy came into Renata’s care. More than sixty years later, she brought him to the museum, cradling him in her arms like a newborn as she shared his story.

Jimmy is well-loved. His fur is thinning in places, one seam needs mending, and his arms and legs flop loosely, so he must be held with care. Yet his two orange-and-black glass eyes still gleam, his ears are intact, and his tilted head gives him a gentle, quizzical expression. Not bad for a bear of his age.

Stories like Jimmy’s are rare. In most Children’s Homes and Orphanages, children were not allowed to keep toys, gifts, or even new clothes. Very few personal possessions survived. Jimmy’s presence speaks not only of childhood resilience but also of the enduring love between two sisters.

Today, Jimmy the Bear is part of the Australian Orphanage Museum’s collection, where his story continues to be told. For now, to help preserve him, he will spend time in storage—but visitors can see his photo here and read about the remarkable journey that brought him to the museum.

The museum is deeply grateful to Renata and her sister for entrusting such a precious part of their lives to share with future generations.

A Brush,  A Case and School Work. 

The Australian Orphanage Museum received three deeply personal items from Care Leaver Debbie Bell (née Smith): a brush, a school case, and her schoolwork in a folder.

Ordinary as they may seem, these objects carry powerful memories of her childhood in foster care. This photo is of Debbie in her school uniform

Foster Care Begins

Debbie was born in Adelaide in 1961. When she was two years old, her mother placed her in state care, believing she would be adopted. But because her parents were married, her father’s consent was also needed. At the time, he was a “guest of the Adelaide Goal” and refused to sign the papers. Debbie recalls: “Instead of being adopted, I was left in the foster system. My file even stated that ‘no one would come for me.’ The first foster family I was placed with should never have been approved.”

The Brush

One of Debbie’s earliest possessions was a small floor brush and pan, given to her as a gift. She reflects:

“That brush became a symbol of those years in foster care. Warnings of abuse and neglect were swept under the carpet, ignored by the people who should have protected me. Later, I learned that sexual abuse had also occurred.”

The School Case

At six and a half years old, Debbie was moved again—this time to Kangaroo Island.

“My school case represents that day. I was packed up and sent off with a lady I’d never met before, leaving from Adelaide Airport. She was a widow who became my foster mother.

Despite our differences, she guided me into adulthood, and for nearly 45 years until her passing, she was the person I called Mum.”

The School Work in a Folder

Among the items Debbie has kept is her early schoolwork in a folder.

“It gives a glimpse of the person I was becoming. Later in life, I reconnected with my birth family, but the bond had been broken before it had hardly begun. My family never knew the full impact of that one decision my mother made.”

“For me, it’s my burden to bear alone.”

Donations Tell a  Story of Recognition and Encouragement for a Care Leaver

Three engraved trophies were recently donated to the Australian Orphanage Museum by Care Leaver Bobbie Andrews.

She was in Glastonbury Children’s Home in Geelong. They offer valuable insight into how achievement was recognised within “care” during the 1970s.

The awards date from 1971 and 1972. They were presented for personal and academic qualities — including one marked “Most Co-operative Girl” and “Best Girl – Group 3.” Another bears the name of the Glastonbury Ex-Students Association, being a Citizenship Award in 1971.

The two cup trophies have Bing Boys engraved at the top. Bing Boys was a Melbourne-based philanthropic group that sponsored awards and other items for children’s Homes and schools during the 20th century. Their support likely extended to providing or funding trophies for Homes like Glastonbury.

The three trophies are now part of a display at the AOM recognising Care Leaver Achievements.

Bobbie recently attended a social morning for CLAN members at the AOM in Geelong and donated two more items, which were very personal to her.

A heart- shaped pendant with her birth name and date. This was the last present she got for her birthday from her parents before she went to Glastonbury. She also donated a school badge from Matthew Flinders Girls’ High School, which Bobbie attended while she still lived in Glastonbury.

These objects help tell the story of childhood in so-called care — not just through hardship, but through effort, recognition, and success.

The AOM is very grateful to Bobbie for donating these very personal items. Now others can see items which explain Care Leavers’ experiences.

Do you have any items that tell of your childhood experiences in Children’s Homes, Orphanages, Missions or Foster Care that you could donate to the AOM? Contact the AOM to tell us about your items. They might be in our next exhibition!

 

A few changes to the operations of the Australian Orphanage Museum:

 

• Entrance is now via Fitzroy St ONLY. 

 

• Opening Hours are Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday from 10am-4pm. Group bookings by appointment only. Phone: 0425 204 747 to book.

 

We can’t wait to see you there!

January 2025 renovations at Australian Orphanage Museum. More to come.

Report by Karen the Curator

In March 2023, CLAN staff took Karen the Curator around Geelong to look at the sites and premises which were once children’s Homes and Orphanages. One such premises is now the junior campus of the Christian College in Belmont. Geelong and Western District Protestant Orphanage was originally in Herne Hill and in 1934 the Orphanage moved to a new premises in Belmont. Then in 1955 its name was changed to Glastonbury Children’s Home.

We were given several items for the Australian Orphanage Museum (AOM) including this branch which to all appearances, looks like an ordinary branch from a tree or bush. Accompanying this branch, were many articles about an item called the “Glastonbury Thorn.”

This ordinary-looking branch not only has a history associated to one of the oldest orphanages in Geelong, but a fascinating religious story connected to the birth and death of Jesus Christ. Over the years, the children who lived in the Glastonbury Children’s Home may have seen the bush from where this branch came from, but never knew of its importance.

What is the Glastonbury Thorn?

The Glastonbury Thorn has an association with the story surrounding Joseph of Arimathea. He was the man who allowed Jesus’ body to be put in his own tomb after the crucifixion. It is said that Joseph travelled to England after the death of Christ to spread the word of Christianity.

He carried a wooden staff made from a white thorn bush. Legend has it that Joseph and his followers went to Glastonbury in Somerset, where he pushed the staff into the earth where it miraculously took root and began to grow and blossom. Joseph left the staff there where it grew into a thorn bush and flowered every Christmas and spring. Cuttings from this bush were taken to Glastonbury Abbey, where it grew and continued to bloom yearly at the same time as Christ’s death and birth.

Many other cuttings were taken from this original bush to propagate; consequently, the Glastonbury Thorn grew elsewhere.

James Austin from Glastonbury in Somerset had a Glastonbury Thorn bush he had grown from a gutting from the original bush. He brought a cutting from that bush to his estate in Geelong, where it took root. Three generations of Austin men supported the Geelong Orphanage, and the tree that is now growing on the school grounds is from the cutting transported from England. So, this little branch at the AOM can trace its roots way back to the original Glastonbury Thorn bush in Glastonbury Abbey.

The school gave us this article with the Glastonbury Thorn (Left). The article is from the Mid Somerset Series, March 29, 2007, and explains the connection of the original bush Glastonbury in the UK with the school in Geelong!

The second article (Right) from the College describes how the Glastonbury Thorn tree in their school is a descendant of the original thorn tree in Glastonbury, England.

We were given five other articles from different sources describing Glastonbury Thorn’s history. If you are interested in the other articles, go to ehive.com and type Glastonbury Thorn in the search bar to read about the items discussed in this report.

The Glastonbury Thorn bush at Glastonbury Abbey, Summerset, UK. 

The Australian Orphanage Museum has welcomed the mysterious donation of a nearly century-old item to its collection. The candle invitation joins a rich collection of orphanage memorabilia from around the country housed at the museum.

Recently, the Australian Orphanage Museum was given a donation of boxing and wrestling trophies and medals, plus some newspaper articles by Care Leaver Cyril Ellis.

Cyril was in St Augustine’s Boys’ Home during the 1950s and 1960s and was part of the successful boxing and wrestling team. He was taught boxing and wrestling by Brother Robinson from St Augustine’s. Cyril travelled across the state to participate in boxing and wrestling matches.

He represented the Geelong area in the Western District’s competitions. Cyril went to Bendigo for country championships and was awarded the winner’s cup. In the Melbourne Championships, he came runner-up. St Vincent de Paul in South Melbourne organised a Golden Gloves competition, which was an eight-week tournament. Cyril won all the divisions for his weight and was Champion of Champions. The first time that title had been awarded.

The AOM thanks Cyril very much for his donations.

 

On 1 April 2023, Deputy Prime Minister, Richard Marles, officiated at the long-awaited opening of the Australian Orphanage Museum in Geelong. The opening included a luncheon and dinner at the Geelong Cats AFL club and the day was attended by around 150 Clannies (care leavers).

You can read more about the opening in James Taylor’s Geelong Times article from 6 April 2023.

Please find some photos of the day which you can scroll through below. A video of the Opening is found at the bottom of this page.

Don’t forget to come and visit us, Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm, to see our permanent exhibition, as well as the recently opened temporary exhibition, Our Lives, Our Stories: Geelong Care Leavers Talking Back to Their Records.

 

 

 

 

AOM Grand Opening day

Did you know that the green jacket worn by ex-Royal Commissioner Jennifer Coate is in Australian Orphanage Museum in Care Leavers Activism Room? Jen also donated $150 towards the framing of the jacket for the exhibition.

Thanks to Jen for this kind donation!

On Saturday 1 April 2023, the Australian Orphanage Museum will finally open its doors and welcome guests from all over Australia to its official opening by the Deputy Prime Minister, Richard Marles.

Watch this space for photographs and reports about our long-awaited grand opening!

In July 2022, the AOM welcomed a group of Australian historians, who were attending the annual conference of the Australian Historical Association at Deakin University’s Geelong campus.