Tamworth Institution for Boys

The Institution for Boys in Tamworth, NSW was established by the Child Welfare Department in 1947. It was an annex to Mount Penang Training School for Boys in the Central Coast of NSW and it was a place of secondary punishment for boys aged 15 to 18 who had absconded from Mittagong Training Home (in the Southern Highlands of NSW) or Mount Penang. It was also a correctional facility for boys who had been convicted of offences at Mount Penang or Mittagong. The institution was located in a former adult jail and it became one of the harshest child welfare institutions in New South Wales. In 1976, it became the Endeavour House.

Over time the Institution came to be labelled as a concentration camp and compared to a prisoner of war camp. The Institution also became a breeding ground for some of the worst underworld criminals in NSW who most were present between 1961 to 1972 when the treatment of the inmates/boys is said to have been at its worst. Conditions in the Institution were quite harsh in that boys were not allowed to talk to each other or look at each other. Sleeping and living conditions were also very primitive with inmates having to use steel buckets for toilets and sunlight into the cells/rooms very restricted. Inmates were subjected to very abusive discipline which included beatings, isolation, solitary confinement, food deprivation, manual labour and walking around with heavy boxes on their heads.

It has been confirmed that the Institution for Boys in Tamworth was responsible for 35 murders during its operation.

We invite former victims to tell us confidentially what information they may have, and we will explain what options are available to help with these cases.

Call us or complete the confidential enquiry form below.