The Fanling Babies’ Home really had its origins in 1936 when young missionary Miss Mildred Dibden returned to Hong Kong from England and took in her first abandoned baby in Tsimshatsui. She had first gone out to Hong Kong in 1931 with the BCMS, but had been repatriated due to a severe attack of malaria, which nearly too
Also known as Ao Garden (鰲園), this mansion was constructed in 1928 by Lai Yue-hing, a returned overseas Chinese from Chile. The building was a two-story Western-style villa with a fountain in front and two adjacent Chinese-style bungalows next to it.
In 1940 the mansion was rented by Mildred Dibden as the Fanling Babies Home until 1966 when the operation was moved to Tai Po.
The Reformatory School and Orphanage, situated at West Point, started by Father T Raimondi of the Italian Mission in 1864 and now under the control of the Vicar Apostolic, — provides education in the native tongue for Chinese boys from the age of eight years.It also takes in and cares for the deaf, the dumb and the blind, and in cases of reformatory treatment finds occupation for its inmates in the learning of useful trades.
Source: The Tourist's Guide to Hong Kong, with short trips to the Mainland of China (1897) by HURLEY, R. C.
Hi all,
I'm really hoping this fabulous forum might provide some answers. I am Hong Kong based, doing some research for a television program in New Zealand that puts families back together.
Extract from Carl T. Smith's "Wanchai: In Search of an Identity", published in the book "Hong Kong. A Reader in Social History":
The Sisters of Charity of St Paul of Chartres owned the lots next to the Blue Buildings. On the seafront of the property they built European-style residences similar to the Blue Buildings and leased them in 1863 to Joao Joaquim Dos Remedios, a wealthy Portuguese merchant. He, in turn, subleased them to tenants.
I've guessed the location based on the location of today's Deerhill Bay development, which is on the site of the old Home. Corrections welcome.
The dates come from an article in the 21 Jan 2010 edition of the HK Standard, which begins:
jabberjabber wrote:
The "Diocesan Home and Orphanage" was founded in 1869, replacing the "Diocesan Native Female Training School". It admitted boys and girls, and occupied the building at the corner of Eastern Street and Bonham Road.
By 1892 all the girls were transferred to the Fairlea School (later Heep Yunn). The Diocesan Home and Orphanage was renamed the "Diocesan School and Orphanage" and took in boys only.
In 1902 the school was again renamed and became the "Diocesan Boys' School and Orphanage".
