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There was no-one ... to cuddle, to read us bedtime stories

What does bedtime mean to a child? Is it safety, being tucked in, told a story?

Is it being put to bed by a staff member, in a room with rows of beds?

Here are some bedtime stories from those who spent all or some of their childhood in children’s homes or institutions.

Exhibition graphic panel that reads: 'There was no-one ... to cuddle, to read us bedtime stories. No one gave us an affectionate

Colour image showing four beds in a room, with orange bedspreads, and drawers under each. Bright yellow shelves on the far wall contain clothes and a toy frog and doll. - click to view larger image

Exhibition graphic panel that reads: 'You ate and slept with 60 other kids; there was no privacy and no choice', attributed to 'Mary Owen, St Brigid’s Girls Home, Ryde, New South Wales, 1960s, 'Orphans of the Living', by Joanna Penglase, 2005'. - click to view larger image

Black and white image showing a row of metal and wire framed cots, painted white, at left. Three young children stand in the cots closest to the camera. A nurse stands near the third. Other children, cots and people stand in the background. - click to view larger image

Black and white image showing a large room with two rows of nine white cots on each side. The cots have curved metal feet and are covered with a white, lacy material. At the centre of the room is a large table, covered in white, with a vase of flowers on top. - click to view larger image

Black and white photograph showing three rows of small children's beds with white covers and a doll sitting on each. A nun walks down the centre of the room. - click to view larger image

Polaroid image showing two rows of single beds with a small wooden wardrobe between each. A towel hangs on the end of each bed and a small boy is visible beside the third bed from the left. Typed text below reads: 'Dormitory at Boys Training School, Kurri Kurri Boys Home, New South Wales, 1969. Copyright State of New South Wales through the Department of Attorney General and Justice and reproduced with the permission of the State Library of New South Wales'. - click to view larger image

Exhibition graphic panel that reads: 'I recall ... numerous pillow fights after dark ... and my duty of telling stories to my dormitory mates', attributed to 'Eric Culter, Geelong and Western District Protestant Orphanage, Geelong, Victoria, 1930s, in 'The way it was', Glastonbury Child and Family Services, 1995'. - click to view larger image

Black and white image showing two rows of single beds on either side of a room. The room has floorboards and a central runner leading to a door at the far end. - click to view larger image

Black and white photo showing a row of single metal beds lined up against a brick wall. A timber wall with open windows is opposite and roof is made of corrugated iron. The beds have white bedspreads and pillow cases, with dressers in between each. - click to view larger image

Black and white photograph showing a row of identical partitioned rooms. A high, narrow cupboard sits just inside each, with a chair sitting at an angle, under a curtain. A bedside table and bed is partially visible in the second partition from the front. - click to view larger image

Exhibition graphic panel that reads: 'We hid any possessions. I hid '50 Tales of Horror' under the mattress to read at night', attributed to 'Jenny Bosanquet, St Luke's Home, Bendigo, Victoria, 1960s'. - click to view larger image

Black and white image showing two young girls tucking in bedding on metal and wire baby cots. The girls wear checked smocks over dark tops and have ribbons in their hair. The cot on the left has a metal plaque at the end which reads 'THE TD LAVY MEMORIAL COT'. - click to view larger image

Black and white photograph of a ward with children in beds being attended to by staff. - click to view larger image

Black and white photo showing a group of 13 young girls sitting on beds watching a woman who has her back to the camera. The girls are dressed in pajamas and several of them hold dolls. - click to view larger image

Black and white image showing a light, airy room with two rows of narrow, single beds along either side. A woman leans over a bed in the forground, to tuck in a bedspread. - click to view larger image

A simple bed with a metal frame, raised slightly at one end. The top of the frame is covered with wire mesh and there are two folding legs underneath. - click to view larger image

Polaroid photograph showing a group of young girls sitting in two rows of single beds, each holding a doll. An older woman and girl help the younger girls prepare for bed. Typed text below reads 'Dormitory at Fairbridge Farm School, Molong, New South Wales, 1954. National Archives of Australia'. - click to view larger image

A cloth doll with a length of orange cord attached to the top of the head with a safety pin. There is a piece of crepe bandage stretched across the forehead and attached on either side by a piece of packing tape. On this are the words 'NOT HARM [?]'. The features of the doll are drawn on the calico in felt pen. On one side are the words 'you all / ignored /us' and on the body 'we fight / for / our / Rights'. A small 'x' in packing tape is on the lower side of the torso. The reverse also has a figure drawn on it with a piece of crepe bandage attached across the forehead with packing tape at either end. On the body are the following words 'NOT / HAPPY / PETER / BE GOOD' and 'COMPO / MUST / REC 39'. - click to view larger image

Black and white image showing a small calico doll on top of metal framed and wire bed. An image in the background shows a young girl sitting up in bed with a doll. - click to view larger image

Exhibition graphic panel that reads: 'The bedwetters ... would have to parade around the room with their wet smelly sheets draped over their shoulders'. The quote is attributed 'Submission 111, Senate Inquiry, 2004, St Catherine's Girls Orphanage, Geelong, Victoria'. - click to view larger image

Exhibition graphic panel that reads: 'I used to think if only I could stay awake all night I wouldn't wet the bed, but of course I couldn't ... [they called me] a

Colour photograph of a cot sheet, framed by a white metal cot. Embroidered in blue script is 'This baby looked all blue round the mouth as we tried to give it some milk but it just ran out of its mouth. So I ran to the nuns having their lunch and Sister hit me for disturbing their lunch and I took her to see the baby and she turned round and hit me again and said

Colour photograph showing a woman standing beside a small metal framed cot. - click to view larger image

Inside: Life in Children’s Homes and Institutions 01 Jan 2018

Dilys Budd on bedtime routines

Hear Dilys Budd talk about her experiences at St Joseph’s Girls’ Orphanage, Subiaco, Western Australia, in the 1940s

Dilys Budd

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Work and school

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Dilys Budd's full interview on Trove

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