Westbrook Reformatory for Boys

The Westbrook Reformatory for Boys was a reformatory school in the town of Westbrook, in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, in Australia. The Westbrook Reformatory was created in 1900 after the closure of earlier versions of the institution on the former prison hulk, the Proserpine, and at Lytton, Queensland.[1] The Reformatory changed its name to the Westbrook Farm Home for Boys in 1919.[2] Under this later name, it was the subject of a major scandal which culminated in a government inquiry.[3] The institution was renamed twice more before its closure in 1994.[4] Since its closure, the Westbrook institution has become known as a site of serious institutional abuse. It was described at length in the 1999 Forde Inquiry and the 2004 Forgotten Australians report.

The reformatory was located on the Toowoomba Athol Road (to the north), between the Westbrook Wyreema Road (to the West) and Althaus Road (to the east).[5]

Early history

The Industrial and Reformatory Schools Act of 1865[6] was the first legislation created to allow youth justice institutions to be created in the colony of Queensland. The Act, which was based on the English Poor Laws, provided for two distinct forms of institution: reformatory schools, for children convicted of offences, and industrial schools, for children found to be neglected. The first institution created in Queensland under this legislation was the reformatory for boys on the former prison hulk, the Proserpine, in 1871.[7] The institution was moored on the Brisbane River.

In February 1881, in part due to problems with the poor upkeep of the ship, the institution was moved to dry land at Signal Hill at Lytton, Queensland. Here, the institution shared space with the Queensland Defence Force. Historian Alan Savige writes that "[t]he boys were located in the middle of a military defensive position that could not hide the fact that it served a double purpose in restraining them while they were on dry land and provided easy surveillance of the Brisbane River mouth and the southern section of Moreton Bay."[8] He describes the situation as similar to the famous Mettray Penal Colony in France, where the architecture made the purpose of the institution clear.

In 1889, after tensions arose between the military staff and the institution, the reformatory was moved temporarily to the site of the Diamantina Orphanage, named for Diamantina Bowen while new facilities were built at Westbrook.[9][8] The institution at Westbrook was opened on 5 May 1900.[1]

The Westbrook Reformatory for Boys

Between 5 May 1900 and 30 October 1919, the institution was known as the Westbrook Reformatory for Boys.[1] Despite the name "reformatory," the institution held both boys convicted of criminal offences and those found to be neglected. This was a continuation of practices established as early as 1871, when the Proserpine was designated a reformatory without the government creating any industrial schools. As a result, between 1871 and 1900, around half of the boys sentenced to the institution were committed as "neglected," while most boys who had been sentenced as offenders were recorded as having committed minor offences such as larceny.[10] At Westbrook, boys underwent a system of training for "moral reformation" which included formal education, agricultural labour, and apprenticeships through a system known as "hiring out."[11]

In 1916, public concern began to increase about the conditions of the children in the reformatory, with the Home Secretary, the government official ultimately responsible for the institution, stating after a visit that "Westbrook is called a reformatory, but there is as much chance of reforming the inmates under existing conditions as there is of my developing wings."[12][13] In response to these concerns, then-Superintendent, Walter Richmond, was replaced with Thomas Jones, former head of a state experimental farm. Under Jones, the institution further emphasised farming.[12]

Westbrook Farm Home for Boys

From 1919 to 1966, the institution was known as the Westbrook Farm Home for Boys.[2] This change of name was the result of Thomas Jones's insistence that a new name be created which better fit the agricultural ethos of the institution.[12] Under this name, the institution became known for its excellence in agricultural outputs, including prize-winning entries in local and state-level agricultural contests.[2] During the 1950s and 1960s, under the leadership of Superintendent Roy Golledge, the Farm Home was the site of considerable mistreatment and abuse.[14] It was identified in the report of the 1999 Forde Inquiry as having had one of the worst cultures of abuse of any Queensland institutions for children.[14]

The mass escape of 1961 and the Schwarten inquiry

One of the most significant events in the institution's history was the mass escape of 1961. On 14 May 1961, a boy lit a haystack on fire. This was a prearranged signal for inmates to escape. The number of escapees has never been satisfactorily determined. Early newspaper reports suggested that as many as 30 inmates may have attempted to escape.[15] However, an inquiry into the event put the number as 18.[16] Part of the reason that determining the number of escapees is impossible is a system the institution had in place whereby boys were encouraged to "catch" others who escaped.[16][17] The mass escape led to increased public concern about the institution, which had become the subject of allegations of abuse and mistreatment.[15] As a direct result, stipendiary magistrate Alfred Edward Schwarten was asked to conduct an inquiry into the institution.[18][16]

The Schwarten inquiry identified significant mistreatment and abuse, including improper and severe punishments.[16] One of the most abusive was known as "the Path." Former inmate Al Fletcher describes the punishment as follows:

The Path must have been Golledge's idea. It would be hard to think of anything more cruel.

It consisted of six parallel tracks, each twenty metres long and about two metres apart. There was a post at both ends of each track. You had to walk up and down between those posts all your spare time. You still had to do your day's work, but when others knocked off, you went on the Path.

You had to keep walking' quick. If you slowed down, they'd put a sergeant at each end to give you a smack in the head until you went quick enough for their liking'. If they went to the trouble of sending' a couple of sergeants down, you got quite a few smacks, no matter how fast you went.[17]

As a result of the findings of the Schwarten report, Golledge was removed from his position as superintendent. The institution underwent considerable change, including the development of a secure unit for absconders and a change of name, to the Westbrook Training Centre.[19]

Westbrook Training Centre

From 26 May 1967 to 1987, the institution was known as the Westbrook Training Centre. The institution continued to emphasise training for farm work and agricultural careers.[19] Despite the changes made after the Schwarten inquiry, former inmates have reported receiving significant and harsh punishment during this period.[19][14] There is also evidence of problems caused by overcrowding.[19][14] In 1971, an inquiry was undertaken into allegations of mistreatment during this period.[20] While the inquiry found that many of the public allegations, including allegations of poor food quality and homosexual relations between the boys, were not substantiated, it did condemn practices such as slapping inmates for misbehaviour.[20][14][19]

Westbrook Youth Centre

From 1987 to 1993, the institution was known as the Westbrook Youth Centre.[21] This was a period of instability, caused in part by increased concern about the isolated geographical location of the institution.[14][21]

Westbrook Youth Detention Centre

From 1993 to its closure on 30 June 1994,[22] the institution was known as the Westbrook Youth Detention Centre.[4] Concerns about the location and safety of the institution came to a head in March 1994, when a serious incident occurred. Young people incarcerated in the institution caused damage to the institution's buildings in an act of protest which, according to a report tabled in parliament, could not be resolved quickly due to the remote location of the institution.[23] This hastened the decision, which had already been made, to close the institution.[4][23]

Current use

As at 2021, part of the site is used for the Royal Brisbane Institute of Technology and the Royal Brisbane International College.[24]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Westbrook Reformatory for Boys - Summary | Find & Connect". www.findandconnect.gov.au. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Farm Home for Boys, Westbrook - Summary | Find & Connect". www.findandconnect.gov.au. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  3. ^ Find & Connect Web Resource Project, The University of Melbourne and Australian Catholic University. "Commission of Inquiry into the Farm Home for Boys, Westbrook - Event - Find & Connect - Queensland". www.findandconnect.gov.au. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "Westbrook Youth Detention Centre - Summary | Find & Connect". www.findandconnect.gov.au. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  5. ^ "Westbrook" (Map). Queensland Government. 1984. Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  6. ^ "Industrial and Reformatory Schools Act - 1865". Trove. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  7. ^ Find & Connect Web Resource Project, The University of Melbourne and Australian Catholic University. "Reformatory School for Boys - Hulk Proserpine - Organisation - Find & Connect - Queensland". www.findandconnect.gov.au. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  8. ^ a b Savige, Alan (1993). "'Naughty' boys : the education of reformatory school boys at Lytton 1881-1899" (PDF). Journal of the Royal Historical Society of Queensland. 15 (1): 33–48.[dead link‍]
  9. ^ "Diamantina Reformatory School for Boys - Summary | Find & Connect". www.findandconnect.gov.au. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  10. ^ Carden, Clarissa (November 2018). "Reformatory schools and Whiteness in danger: An Australian case". Childhood. 25 (4): 544–554. doi:10.1177/0907568218775177. hdl:10072/375780. ISSN 0907-5682. S2CID 149849915. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  11. ^ Clarissa, Carden (26 October 2020). "Managing moral reformation: the case of Queensland's reformatory for boys, 1871–1919". History of Education Review. 50 (2): 226–240. doi:10.1108/HER-05-2020-0034. hdl:10072/400496. ISSN 0819-8691. S2CID 226348698. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  12. ^ a b c Carden, Clarissa (27 May 2019). "From Reformatory to Farm Home: Developments in Twentieth-Century Juvenile Justice". Cultural and Social History. 16 (3): 359–374. doi:10.1080/14780038.2019.1594499. ISSN 1478-0038. S2CID 150495748.
  13. ^ "Westbrook Reformatory. Mr. Huxham's Visit. Radical Reforms to Be Instituted". Brisbane Courier. 18 July 1916.
  14. ^ a b c d e f Commission of Inquiry into Abuse of Children in Queensland Institutions. (1999), Report of the Commission of Inquiry into Abuse of Children in Queensland Institutions, Queensland Government, Brisbane.
  15. ^ a b Carden, Clarissa (4 June 2018). "A breakdown of reformatory education: remembering Westbrook". History of Education Review. 47 (1): 67–76. doi:10.1108/HER-12-2016-0037. ISSN 0819-8691. S2CID 149735784. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  16. ^ a b c d Schwarten, A. (1961), Report: Westbrook Farm Home for Boys Inquiry, Inquiry, Queensland Government, Brisbane.
  17. ^ a b Fletcher, Alfred. (2010). Brutal : surviving Westbrook Boys Home. Jorgensen, Cheryl. (Rev. ed.). Chatswood, N.S.W.: New Holland Publishers (Australia). ISBN 978-1-74257-106-5. OCLC 697222147.
  18. ^ Australia, National Museum of (15 August 2011). "Schwarten Inquiry into Westbrook". Inside. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  19. ^ a b c d e "Westbrook Training Centre - Summary | Find & Connect". www.findandconnect.gov.au. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  20. ^ a b Queensland Department of Health. (1971), “Westbrook inquiry: [report of an investigation carried out at Westbrook Training Centre]”.
  21. ^ a b "Westbrook Youth Centre - Summary | Find & Connect". www.findandconnect.gov.au. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  22. ^ "Queensland state school - centre closures" (PDF). Queensland Government. 20 August 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 March 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  23. ^ a b Smith, D. and Majella, R. (1994), Investigation of the Circumstances Surrounding Incidents at Westbrook Youth Detention Centre Friday 18 March to Sunday 20 March and Friday 25 March 1994., Department of Family Services and Aboriginal and Islander Affairs, Brisbane, p. 40.
  24. ^ "Home". RBIT-2. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2021.

27°37′02″S 151°49′51″E / 27.6171°S 151.8308°E / -27.6171; 151.8308 (Westbrook Reformatory)

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