Glendining Home/Glendining Complex

Dates: 1913-1991

This home was opened in 1913, in a new building in Andersons Bay donated by Robert Glendining, who had also given the land. The home had a farm, which supplied milk for all the Presbyterian children’s homes.

It initially provided a home for girls, and for boys under 10 years. There were about 70 children living there in 1916.

In 1921 the homes were reorganised – the children from Glendining Home moved to Grants Braes and Nisbet homes, and the boys from Grants Braes moved to Glendining.

In 1931 the PSSA officially opened a new complex known as Glendinig Presbyterian Children’s Homes – this was a move away from the large homes to “cottage homes” with a mixture of boys and girls in smaller groups of about 16. Three cottages were built, named Nisbet, Cameron, and Somerville. A fourth group was located in the original Glendining Home which also accommodated the older working boys.

By 1931 there were about 60 children in the four children’s homes, with 15 working and school boys at Glendining. With increasing moves to place children in smaller family homes, the number of children in the cottage gradually decreased. From 1964 the older boys previously living in the original Glendining Home were boarded out (the building was demolished in 1976). The cottages were then re-developed into two family home units and an initial receiving home. In 1967 Cameron Cottage became a hostel for working girls from rural areas. Nisbet Cottage became an Adolescent Group Home for up to 10 children in 1976. Taumata Cottage, originally built in 1950 as a residence for the manager, was established as a cottage home in 1965. It later became an emergency house, and finally a family group home. After Cameron Cottage was extensively damaged in a 1977 fire, it was redeveloped to provide a more flexible home – in 1981 it housed a family of 15, including staff, residents, and children of staff. While Cameron Cottage provided short term care, Somerville Cottage was upgraded in 1980 to provide longer-term care. The homes eventually all closed – first Somerville, then Taumata in 1990, and finally Cameron and Nisbet in 1991.