[2] In 1945 six Aboriginal boys from St John's were transferred to the residence,[2] which was rented from a Miss Florence Murphy, a member of the church.
The house in Kensington Park served as a "training home" for the boys, aged between 9 and 12, who attended the Marryatville Primary School.
[6] In 1946, after the ABM assisted with the purchase of Glanville Hall at Semaphore, the Kensington Park home closed, and the boys transferred to the new hostel, which later became known as St Francis House.
[3] On 4 June 1952, the government purchased the home, which was by then in need of repairs, and provided ongoing financial assistance on the understanding that more boys would be transferred there from the Northern Territory.
[14] Some residents of St Francis House who later went on to forge sporting careers and/or became engaged in Indigenous activism include: