“Most [children] came from convict backgrounds, with parents more likely to be in gaol, unemployed or perceived by the authorities as leading immoral lives. This was the case for the entire period of the institutions" existence…Most children admitted were over three years old and they could be apprenticed into the community at thirteen. The Orphan Schools were an integral component of the convict system, with the same mechanisms – regimentation, discipline, punishment and control. Religion and education would transform and socialise children into "respectable" industrious adults. If nothing else, the Orphan Schools would remove from public view children who, for one reason or another, were defined as destitute.”1
“Most [children] came from convict backgrounds, with parents more likely to
