Somerton Park is a seaside
suburb
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...
of
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
in
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
. The mainly residential suburb is home to the Somerton Park Beach,
Sacred Heart College and
North Brighton Cemetery.
History
Somerton Park Post Office opened on 1 July 1947 and closed in 1988.
Seaforth
In 1921 the Seaforth Convalescent Home, a two-storey building surrounded by four acres of land situated not far from the beach (at 20 Tarlton Street), was opened by the
South Australian Government. The
convalescent home
A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...
provided short-term accommodation for children recuperating from illness or hospitalisation, as well as being used as a holiday home for children who had been placed
in service
A domestic worker or domestic servant is a person who works within the scope of a residence. The term "domestic service" applies to the equivalent occupational category. In traditional English contexts, such a person was said to be "in service ...
. As time went by, teachers were appointed, and by the 1930s around 30 to 50 children, mainly girls, lived at the home. Numbers grew to more than 60 in the mid-1940s, and additional
dormitories and staff quarters were built. In 1946 the institution was renamed Seaforth Home.
From 1946 to 1976, the home was named the Seaforth Home, and run by the government. It accommodated up to 100 boys and girls up to the age of six and girls up to the age of 18, as well as some children with disabilities, most whom were deemed to be
destitute
Extreme poverty, deep poverty, abject poverty, absolute poverty, destitution, or penury, is the most severe type of poverty, defined by the United Nations (UN) as "a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, includi ...
or neglected. A few had minor behavioural problems, but they were not offenders. The home became very full in the 1950s, and in order to ease the overcrowding, boys under the age of six who were ready for primary school were moved to the
Glandore Industrial School.
Singer-songwriter
Ruby Hunter
Ruby Charlotte Margaret Hunter (31 October 195517 February 2010), also known as Aunty Ruby, was an Aboriginal Australian singer, songwriter and guitarist, and the life and musical partner of Archie Roach .
Early life
Ruby Hunter was born on 31 ...
spent some time in the home.
By 1973 the there were only 30 children in the home, most with disabilities, and the accommodation was split into smaller units. The home close in 1975, to be replaced by five independent cottage residences on the same site.
[
The home was sometimes referred to as Seaforth Children's Home. During the 2004-2008 ]Children in State Care Commission of Inquiry
Edward Picton "Ted" Mullighan, QC (25 March 1939 – 15 September 2011) was an Australian judge who was known as an Indigenous rights advocate and protecting vulnerable people. He was known for his role as Commissioner of the Government of South ...
(the Mullighan Inquiry), several women gave evidence about abuse at both Seaforth Convalescent Home and Seaforth Home, and a number of deaths were also investigated.[
]
Notable residents
* Phil Walsh (1960–2015), coach of Adelaide Football Club
The Adelaide Crows (officially the Adelaide Football Club) are a professional Australian rules football team based in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1990. The Crows has fielded a men's team in the Australian Football League (AFL) since ...
, who was killed by his son, who had undiagnosed schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...
at the time.
* The Beaumont children
Jane Nartare Beaumont (born 10 September 1956), Arnna Kathleen Beaumont (born 11 November 1958) and Grant Ellis Beaumont (born 12 July 1961), collectively known as the Beaumont children, were three Australian siblings who disappeared from Glen ...
(b. 1956, 1958, 1961), who disappeared at the nearby Glenelg beach in 1966, lived at 109 Harding Street in Somerton Park.
See also
* Somerton Man, a man found dead on Somerton Park beach in 1948, unidentified until 2022
References
{{City of Holdfast Bay suburbs
Suburbs of Adelaide