St. Mary's Hostel (Alice Springs)

St. Mary's Hostel was built on the site of the Lady Gowrie Rest Home for Service Women, which was in operation during World War II, located on the Stuart Highway, just south of Alice Springs.

Following the war it was purchased cheaply by the Australian Board of Missions, after higher tenders had been received for the property,[1][2] and named St. Mary's Church of England Hostel (most often simply referred to as St.

[3] From 1947 to 1972, it was, in part, an institute for "half-caste" (part-Aboriginal) children (taken as wards of state under the Aboriginals Ordinance 1918), and the hostel played an important role in creating the Stolen Generations in Central Australia.

[1] In January 1949, a major event in the life of the hostel was Heath travelling to Mulgoa NSW, to "bring back" some of the women and children who had been evacuated there during the war (1942).

Heath made the return journey[citation needed] with Rona and Freda Glynn and their mother Topsy, and seven other girls or women, while three chose to remain in NSW.

[5] In 1953 film director Charles Chauvel visited St. Mary's (for the second time) during an exhaustive search for his lead and "discovered" Ngarla Kunoth (Rosalie Kunoth-Monks) who he cast as the title role in Jedda.