Reformatory Schools
30 Victoria, Act No. 4, 1866; Reformatory Schools Act
Establishing the juvenile reformatories Act[30 Victoria, Act No. 4, 1866] - the Reformatory Schools Act of 1866 received assent on 12 September, 1866. The Act came into operation on 15 January, 1869 (NSW Govt Gazette 1869 ver. 1p.201) and provided that any child under sixteen convicted of a criminal offence and sentenced to fourteen or more days imprisonment could be sent to a reformatory school for one to five years instead of or in addition to going to gaol. The parents of a child sent to a reformatory wherever possible could be required to pay for the child’s upkeep whilst in the reformatory. There were to be separate reformatories for girls and boys.(Reformatory Schools Act of 1866)
While a reformatory school for girls was proclaimed at Newcastle on 19 January, 1867, (NSW Govt Gazette 1869 ver.1, p201) no similar institution for boys was established until 1894. The Industrial School-Ship the "Vernon" served as both took delinquent as well as destitute boys prior to the commencement of a reformatory. After the enactment of the State Children Relief Act of 1881 [44 Victoria, Act No. 24, 1881] most neglected boys were boarded out, but increasing numbers of boys with criminal charges were sent to the "Vernon" .(NSS Vernon Report for the year ended 30 April 1892, p 3)
Daruk Training Centre
In 1960 "Daruk" Training School at Windsor was opened and school age juvenile offenders were sent here leaving Mount Penang to train the older boys. From this time schooling was on a voluntary basis. ( Boyle, B. Op. Cit. p.204)
