Woodlands, circa 1940s.
Woodlands and Ellimatta homes for boys and girls in the 1940s
While scanning some negatives taken in the late 1940s by former Newcastle press photographer Milton Merrilees, I struck a batch labelled "Woodlands" and "Ellimatta". Ellimatta home for girls at East Maitland, late 1940s. Photo by Milton Merrilees Having grown up in South Wallsend I was familiar with Woodlands as a home for boys. I recall meeting some of the boys who lived there, either through soccer or school. I had never heard of Ellimatta, but quickly discovered that it was a home for girls, run by the same organisation that operated Woodlands. This organisation was the…