17 September 1898 Minda Home
17 September 1898 Minda Home
Minda Home at Fullarton, the first home for ‘weak-minded children’ was officially opened by Lady Victoria Buxton, wife of the Governor, on 17 September 1898 with a complement of eleven pupils. Sir Josiah Symon, the first president, said that ‘Minda’ was chosen as the name for the home as it was an Aboriginal word meaning ‘place of shelter and protection’. In 1909 Minda Home Incorporated purchased the old home of John Hodgkiss at Brighton, built in 1860, from his niece, and moved there in September 1911. The foundation stone of the first new building was laid by the Governor, Sir Day Hort Bosanquet, on 19 November 1910; it is now called Rogerson House. At this time the constitution was amended to allow for the care of the children as they grew older to continue. A new dormitory block, costing $1.25 million, to accommodate 28 children was opened on Sunday 29 February 1976. The original house became the administration building.
Today, Minda remains at the forefront of South Australia’s disability sector, offering services and support to over 1500 South Australians with an intellectual disability. Minda accommodates over 250 adults on Brighton campus, with another 250 individuals in community based living.
50 years of Sympathetic Care and Practical Service: Minda Home, 1948.
