Memorial Group Celebrates 150th Anniversary of Barnardo’s Work
Barnardo – Hazelbrae Memorial Group are planning a celebration of the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Barnardo organization in England, whose efforts to house and care for destitute children in London began when he opened up a home in the east end of London in 1867. The Ontario British Home Child Day event takes place on September 24th from 1 to 4 pm at Northminster United Church on Sunset Blvd.
The Barnardo – Hazelbrae Memorial Group was formed in 1998 by Peterborough resident Ivy Sucee who was asked by Barnardo to represent them in this part of Ontario. The organization of 50 members meets to provide the opportunity for descendants of Barnardo children to learn about their heritage, talk over their concerns and to meet others who share the same interests. Sucee is well positioned to head the group as her father was a Barnardo child.
Barnardo began his career as a preacher and a school teacher in the poverty-stricken east end of London in the mid- 1860’s. Personally witnessing the need in his congregations and classrooms, he launched a home for children in Stepney in the east end of London in 1867. As the need was not limited to this small part of England, his efforts to help destitute children soon expanded as he opened a series of homes across the country and eventually in Canada as well.
In the summer of 1883, Peterborough millionaire George A Cox offered Dr. Thomas Barnardo his choice of several homes he owned in Peterborough to establish a home for wards and orphan children from England. The selected property consisted of five acres on a hill overlooking present day George Street and was called Hazelbrae. On July 22nd 1884, the first 150 of the 9,000 children to pass through the Hazelbrae home arrived.
Hazelbrae was the largest home of its kind in Canada, and at first it accepted boys and girls, but by 1889 boys were sent to other homes in Toronto and later homes in Hamilton and Winnipeg and a training farm in Russell, Manitoba.
It is estimated that approximately 35,000 children were brought to Canada by Barnardo’s organization between the 1870s and 1939 from workhouses and other organizations in England. . Younger children were placed with foster families while older children took on positions as domestic help and farm hands with families across Ontario and the prairies. While the intentions of the organization were good, some of the relocated children, particularly older ones, were poorly treated by their foster homes, sometimes treated as indentured servants.
Hazelbrae was closed in 1922 and the house was demolished in 1939 but the site is marked with a heritage plaque placed there by the Barnardo – Hazelbrae Memorial Group. In the fall of 2011they also installed a monument on Barnardo Avenue in front of the former Queen Alexandra School inscribed with the names of all 8,914 children who passed through this home.
A passionate historian and meticulous note-keeper, Sucee is the keeper of historical records and an enthusiastic story-teller who provided valuable insight to 4th Line Theatre founder Robert Winslow in the creation of the historic play entitled “Dr. Barnardo’s Children”. Sucee wants to ensure the legacy of these children remains alive, as even those who faced adversity moved on to lead productive lives that contributed to the health and prosperity of their new-found home and she can name them all. Her efforts have been recognized in many ways. She is the only honorary Barnardo girl in Canada, she is the recipient of a the Rotary Club’s Paul Harris Fellowship, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the city of Peterborough and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal.
For more information about this group, visit http://barnardohazelbraegroup.com. KG
