Architect: W.C. Vahland and John Beebe 1904 The See House or Bishops Palace for the newly formed diocese of Bendigo was designed by William Vahland and John Beebe. William Vahland had earlier taken his son, Henry, onto partnership in 1892. They contributed several notable buildings, including the Sandhurst Club in View Street, Caradon in Eaglehawk and Penwinnick in Quarry Hill. William Vahland is rightly recognized as being the principal 19th century architect in Bendigo, but towards the end of the century their practice was successfully challenged by William Beebe. William Vahland retired in 1900, whereupon, Henry Vahland joined in partnership with John Beebe, the younger brother of William Beebe. Both John and William had started out as stonemasons with their father, William Beebe senior, though William had turned to architecture exclusively from 1892. John became and architect from about 1900. His partnership with Henry Vahland was cut short by Henry’s untimely death from Bright’s disease in 1902, at the age of 42 years. William Vahland then came out of retirement, taking his son’s place in the firm. Langley Hall was the largest commission of the new partnership. The partnership with John Beebe lasted until about 1910, when William Vahland finally retired. He died in 1915. John Beebe remained in practice in his own name The memorial stone for Bishop Langley’s new Palace was laid by the Very Rev. Dean MacCullagh on 7 September, 1904 in the presence of 700 to 800 people. Dean Mac Cullagh, having been invited to lay the stone and to speak, said that he knew the Bishop as a young man, and he desired now to say that ‘from the first time the Bishop of bendiog was elected he determined loyally to work under him in the service of the Church, and he was now prepared to say that he considered the best man had been elected to the office. In Bishop Langley’s selection, the grace of God had been manifested. The new Bishopscourt was completed and occupied by the Bishop and his family in March 1905. A palace was needed for the new diocese but why this site was chosen is not known. BISHOP HENRY ARCHDALL LANGLEY (1844-1906) Henry Archdall Langley was born in 1844. He was born in Ireland and married an Australian, Elizabeth Mary Strachan. They had twelve children. After studying at Moore Theological College, Henry Archdall was made deacon on 11 June 1865 and ordained priest on 27 May 1866 by Bishop Barker. He served in various Sydney parishes before moving to Melbourne in 1878 where he ministered at St Matthew’s Prahran. Successively archdeacon of Gippsland, and of Melbourne and Geelong, he was elected first bishop of Bendigo in 1902. He died on 5th August, 1906 at the age of 65 years from a stroke. He had been Bishop of Bendigo for the short period of four and a half years. He was succeeded in the bishopric by his elder brother John Douse Langley (1836-1930), a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin. WORLD WAR 1 SERVICEMAN World War 1 was declared on August 14, 1914. Following Armistice Day on November 11, 1918, rehabilitation of the physically maimee and mentally stressed servicemen in convalescent homes was deemed essential for their return to normal life. Bendigo Red Cross was requested by Melbourne Headquarters, working in conjunction with the Repatriation Department, to find suitable premises in Bendigo. Of several homes offered, Bishopscourt White Hills (Langley Hall) appeared the most suitable at reasonable rental and three year lease. Approval was granted and the Diggers’ Red Cross Rest Home Bendigo became a reality. Mary Mackay was elected chairwoman of the house committee on September 22, 1919. Feverish activity followed, as various Red Cross branches decorated and furnished the interior of the Home. Where possible, ex-servicemen supplied goods, and services which involved looking after the gardens, lawns, stables, poultry pens, cow barn and fencing. A billiard room for the Home was designed by Messrs. Beebe and Garvin and completed in time for the official opening of the Home by Lady Helen Munro Ferguson, first president of the Australian branch, British Red Cross Society, at a garden party on December 3, 1919. The Diggers welcome banner allied flags and streamers fluttered in the hot summer breeze. Flower gardens were a blaze of colour. Large shady pines provided respite for the estimated 500 visitors strolling through the spacious grounds. There were icecreams, sweets and cold drink stalls. Afternoon tea was served by Red Cross members. Orchestral music and patriotic songs highlighted the occasion. Lady Helen was introduced to the Diggers’ Home Matron, Sr. Mary McIlroy, a former was nurse, and her assistants, women of the Voluntary Aid Detachment. A Defence car was made available to the Home for transport. It was replaced by a donated wagonette and harness, and a horse purchased by the house committee for $12. Residents of the Home were given free medical and dental care. By 1926, policy change by the Repatriation Department brought about the closure of the Bendigo Diggers Red Cross Rest Home. Inpatients assisted at the establishment numbered 872. PLIGHT OF ORPHANED CHILDREN On the Bendigo Goldfields, the problem of orphans and neglected children was particularly bad. The Anglican Church in Bendigo first became involved in child care locally in 1856 when Reverend James Brennan was made ‘guardian of minors without parents’, and assisted children who had been sleeping in the streets. In the 1850’s and 1860’s the number of children needing care in Bendigo through their parents desertion or destitution, gradually increased. In 1864 a new wing was erected at the Bendigo Benevolent Scylum ( where the Anne Caudle Centre now stands), which became the Sandhurst Industrial School. Up to 150 children were accommodated and educated at the Industrial School; the boys learned a trade and the girls were taught domestic duties. The Sandhurst Industrial School was home to 104 children in 1870; by 1872, some 2252 children were in institutions throughout Victoria. The Industrial School programme in Victoria was a failure. Buildings were unsuitable and staffing problems were a continual source of worry. The Sandhurst Industrial School had closed by 1884, and from 1883 to 1956 there was only Governmental child care reception centre, ‘The Depot’ at Royal Park . A foster care programme began in Victoria in 1871. Children who could not be placed in foster homes were left to Church agencies for residential care. In Bendigo the Churches became actively involved in this care. St Aidan’s Orphanage was opened in 1905 in response to the need to care for the children of gold miners who had died of Miner’s disease. By 1930 the voluntary agencies were finding great difficulty in placing children in private homes, and orphanages and children’s homes became larger and larger. Bendigo was soon to have over one hundred children being cared for in institutions, for the second time in less than sixty years. ST LUKE’S TODDLERS HOME Situated just over three kilometers along the Echuca road from Bendigo stands the great red brick turn-of-the century mansion that was built in 1904. The spacious two storeyed building was built originally as the residence of the first Anglican Bishop of Bendigo. The first two Bishops Lnagley of Bendigo lived here, but when Bishop Baker came to the Diocese in 1920 he moved to the present Bishopscourt in Forest Street, which had been given by the Lansell family Langley Hall, as old Bishopscourt was later called, was subsequently used as a Red Cross Hostel, and then as a Theologolical Training College. In 1931, Mrs Wolstenholme, the wife of the Rector of St Peter’s, Eaglehawk ahd the idea to use the building as a home for single girls and their babies. With the help of her daughter, a trained nurse, and the support of the community, the large old building was re-furnished with rows of cots, foold and blankets for the care of these girls and their babies. Unfortunately, because of certain Governmental regulations it was found that the home was unable to function as such because the Charities Board had decreed that no isolated homes could be started. In 1932, following a debate at Provincial Synod it was stated that the Mission of St James and St John were caring for thirty children from Bendigo in their various Homes in and around Melbourne. During this debate the Archbishop at the time said “unless the country Diocese could do something to help those from their territories who were in the Missions’ homes they might have to close the doors to any children outside the Diocese of Melbourne”. It was resolved at Synod that the Diocesan Council, in conjunction with the Mission of St James and St John begin a Toddlers Home at Langley Hall. In effect the Diocese of Bendigo handed over the running of the Toddlers Home in its entirety to the mission. This decision resulted in the Mission transferring children who were living in Ramoth Toddlers Home at Ferntree Gully, to St Luke’s Toddlers Home in Bendigo. The Diocese of Bendigo agreed to equip the Home initially and the Mission of St James and St John undertook the responsibility for its subsequent direction and supervision. The official opening of St Luke’s Toddlers Home took place on Saturday 4th June, 1932 in the presence of a thousand people, including civic, government and church leaders. Frances Allen was the first kindergarten teacher appointed to St Luke’s, and she recalls caring for a group of twenty five toddlers, mostly boys. “These children were mostly mine for nearly all of their waking hours, from 6.30am to 6pm. There was time off for meals, two hours rest period, one day off a week and one annual holiday. As well as being responsible for all the kindergarten work of the home, and later the ten nurses wre also under my care, which meant detailing duties and writing daily lists of work schedules. I also gave simple talks on kindergarten work”. During these early years the young child care staff worked long hours, and with their board and lodging received a small wage by today’s standards. They would start work around 6am and finish after the evening meal. These young girls enjoyed caring for little children. Many came straight to St Luke’s from the classroom – some came from the country and suffered the pangs of homesickness. The girls had no training, apart from the direction of the Matron and senior staff on the care of ‘toddlers’. The nurses donned uniform and cap, which they wore taking the children shopping and on outings. People being aware that the children were from St Luke’s pressed money into the children’s hands. In later years staff worked on a roster system of eight hours a day similar to that of a hospital shift. In 1937 the new brick building to be used as staff quarters was opened. The average number of children in the home at any time was fifty, who were divided into three groups. The youngest from eighteen months to two and a half years were called Gumnuts, at two and a half the child became a Brownie and at four years became a Pixie. The children in each group were all dressed alike – Pixies wore blue, Brownies were dressed in yellow (boys wore yellow ties) and the Gumnuts, if girls, were dressed in pink, while the little boys wore coloured shepherd suits. The children usually spent twelve months at school at White Hills before being moved to another children’s home away from Bendigo. In 1979 the toddlers home closed as care of children was moved to family based foster care.
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