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24 August 2008

A Great and Crying Need: a history of Kew Cottages

Kew Cottages was Australia's largest and oldest purpose built institution for people with intellectual disability. Opened in 1887, it housed thousands of people, over more than a century, before its closure in early 2008.

Located on large grounds in the Melbourne suburb of Kew, the last of the cottages' residents have been moved into Community Residential Units, or CRUs.

The story of Kew Cottages charts the wider history of changing attitudes to people with disability, and the role of institutional care. This program features the stories of former residents and their families, as well as staff and specialists who worked at Kew Cottages.


Further Information

'A Great And Crying Need' - Kew Project

Publications

Title: Bye-Bye Charlie - Stories from the Vanishing World of Kew Cottages
Author: Corinne Manning
URL: http://www.unireps.com.au/isbn/9781921410109.htm

Presenter

Michelle Rayner

Producer

Michelle Rayner

Story Researcher and Producer

John Tebbutt

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