Celebrating the women behind Berry Street on International Women’s Day

Many extraordinary women make up the fabric of Berry Street’s history. This International Women’s Day, Berry Street is shining a spotlight on the pioneering work of just a few of them. Their brave and innovative efforts gave thousands of women a lifeline over the years, as well as paving the way for the work our charity does today.

Berry Street’s Founding Mothers

Berry Street (first established as the Victorian Infant Asylum in Fitzroy) was started over 140 years ago by a courageous group of women. Mary Francis, Elizabeth Nankivell, Anna Maria Bright and Williamina Pearson challenged the social norms of the day to care for mothers and babies facing adversity.

The women were committed to keeping babies with their mothers wherever possible, or else finding families to care for them. The first baby needing care arrived in November 1877, and by June 1878, 32 babies and 20 mothers had been welcomed in, a further five babies helped, and nine more boarded out (the precursor to foster care).

Lady Diamantina Bowen

Helping these women to bring Berry Street into existence was Lady Diamantina Bowen, wife of the then Governor of Victoria, Sir George Bowen. With a lot of prior experience supporting similar organisations, Lady Bowen became a champion of the cause, using her patronage, influence and connections to get Berry Street off the ground and enable it to be a success.

Selina Sutherland

As the charity evolved over the years, it merged with others which shared a similar ethos, helping to create Berry Street as we know it now.

One critical piece to the Berry Street puzzle is the work of Selina Sutherland, founder of the Sutherland Homes for Neglected Children which amalgamated with Berry Street in 1992. Known as New Zealand’s Florence Nightingale, Selina settled in Melbourne in 1881, where she became renowned for her work supporting women and children in the region. In 1888 she became the first person in Victoria to take children into her care legally, and in 1909 she founded Sutherland Homes.

Selina was also one of the founders of the Melbourne District Nursing Society, which later became the Royal District Nursing Service, and she was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2010.

Berry Street today

Along the way, there have been many more women who kept the mission of Berry Street’s Founding Mothers alive and made the charity what it is. We are proud that women remain the driving force and take leading roles at every level in the organisation: our Acting CEO Jenny McNaughton has over 25 years’ experience working with vulnerable children, adults, and families, and has been at the charity for nearly a decade.

Berry Street has been on a journey since it began, now helping those experiencing poverty, violence and abuse, as well as helping families stay together in safe and healthy homes. We provide programs to more than 35,000 children, young people and families each year, including around family violence, trauma, parenting and family services, and more.

This would never have been possible without the brave work of Selina Sutherland, Lady Diamantina Bowen and others like them, who were prepared to defy expectations to support women and children when many had turned their backs on them.