Hay Gaol facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Hay Gaol
Hay Gaol, 2007
Location	355 Church Street, Hay, Hay Shire, New South Wales, Australia
Built	1879–1880
Architect	James Barnet; Colonial Architect

New South Wales Heritage Register
Official name: Hay Gaol; Hay Jail; Hay Institution for Girls; Dunera boys internment camp
Type	state heritage (complex / group)
Designated	13 March 2009
Reference no.	1782
Type	Gaol/Lock-up
Category	Law Enforcement
Builders	Witcombe Brothers

Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).

The Hay Gaol is a very old building in Hay, Australia, that has had many different uses. It started as a prison for adults from 1880 to 1915, and again from 1930 to 1940. During World War II, it became a camp for prisoners of war. Later, from 1961 to 1974, it was a special facility for teenage girls called the Hay Institution for Girls. Today, it is a museum where you can learn about its long and interesting past. The famous architect James Barnet helped design it, and it was built between 1879 and 1880.

A Look Back: The Hay Gaol's Story

The First Small Prison in Hay

Before the big Hay Gaol was built, there was a smaller police lock-up in Hay. This lock-up became an official prison in 1870. It only had two cells at first.

But by 1878, many more people were being held there. So, they added two more cells to make four in total. Because so many people needed to be held, officials decided to build a brand new, bigger prison.

Building the New Hay Gaol (1880-1915)

Illustration of Hay Gaol from a newspaper in 1881.

The new Hay Gaol was built in 1879-1880 by local builders. It had a tall, five-meter-high brick wall around it. There were also two guard towers at opposite corners.

Inside, the main building had 12 cells, including some for female prisoners. The cells had cement floors and metal roofs. The prison also had a special cell for solitary confinement, a kitchen, and a place for officers to live.

The new gaol officially opened in late 1880. It was meant to hold people who had committed crimes and needed to do hard labor. One visitor in 1881 said the gaol looked "ominous" when entering the town.

Life Inside the Early Gaol

The Hay Gaol was first run by the police. Then, in 1882, Ghiblim Everett became the first official gaoler (prison manager). His wife, Mary Ann, was the matron for the female prisoners.

The gaol mostly held people with shorter sentences. Those with longer sentences were sent to a bigger prison in Goulburn. Ghiblim Everett was a keen gardener, and he made a beautiful garden at the gaol. Prisoners also grew vegetables for their meals.

Over time, fewer prisoners were sent to Hay. By 1915, there were only three prisoners and four staff members. It was too expensive to keep open, so the Hay Gaol closed on June 30, 1915.

A Hospital and Home (1919-1929)

After closing as a prison, the Hay Gaol found new uses. In 1919, during the worldwide Spanish Flu, it became an emergency hospital. This helped keep sick people separate from others.

In 1921, the local Red Cross Society turned it into a maternity home. This was a place where mothers could have their babies. Many older people in Hay still joke that they were "born in the Hay Gaol"!

Back to Being a Prison (1930-1940)

In 1930, the maternity home moved to a new location. At the same time, other prisons in the state were very full. So, it was decided to reopen the Hay Gaol.

The building was updated with town gas and sewerage. In August 1930, it officially became a public prison again. It operated for ten years. Only one escape was ever recorded: a prisoner named Reginald Arthur Dawson used a rope made of towels and a poker to climb the wall. He was caught five days later.

A Camp for Prisoners of War (1940-1946)

During World War II, Hay's isolated location made it a good spot for prisoner-of-war camps. Three high-security camps were built in 1940. The old Hay Gaol was used as a place to hold and treat prisoners from these camps.

The first people held there were over two thousand refugees from Germany and Austria. Many of them were Jewish, fleeing the Nazis. They were brought to Australia on a ship called the HMT Dunera and became known as the "Dunera Boys."

Later, Italian civilians were also held there. After a prison break-out in Cowra in 1944, many Japanese prisoners of war were moved to Hay.

The "Dunera Boys" had a big impact on Australia. Many of them stayed in Australia after the war and became important in science, culture, and business. Hay still remembers them with a "Dunera Day" each year. The Hay Gaol is one of the few buildings left that reminds people of these camps. The gaol stopped being a prison on October 31, 1947.

Other Uses After the War

After the war, the gaol was used for different things. It provided emergency housing during big floods in 1952 and 1956. It also housed Italian workers who came to build a new sewerage system in the town.

The Hay Institution for Girls (1961-1974)

From 1961 to 1974, the Hay Gaol became a high-security facility for girls aged 13 to 18. It was called the Hay Institution for Girls. This institution was created after some problems at another girls' home. The idea was to separate girls who were considered difficult to manage.

Girls were sent to Hay for about three months. Many of the girls who were sent there were Aboriginal. The institution had very strict rules and routines. Girls were brought to Hay at night, often after being given medicine.

Life for Girls at the Institution

Once at Hay, the girls faced a tough system. They had limited time to talk to each other and had to keep their eyes down. They also had to stay a certain distance apart. The girls worked hard, cleaning, painting, cooking, and gardening. Some of the concrete paths in the gaol courtyard were laid by the girls themselves. They did not receive any schooling while they were there.

When new girls arrived, they often spent their first ten days in an "isolation cell." They would scrub the walls and floors. Girls who misbehaved might be sent to a special isolation block for 24 hours, with only bread and water or milk to eat. At night, girls had to sleep on their side, facing the door, so guards could check on them every 20-30 minutes. Today, one cell in the museum is set up to show what it looked like when the girls lived there.

Closing the Institution

By the 1960s and 1970s, people started to question these large institutions for children. In 1974, the Minister for Youth and Community Services decided to close Hay and other similar places.

Many people had concerns about Hay. Locals reported screams from inside the walls, and a politician raised concerns in Parliament. A journalist also investigated the institution, bringing its story to public attention.

Even though the institution closed, its effects lasted for many years. In 2004, a government inquiry called "Forgotten Australians" looked into the experiences of children in institutions. Many survivors from Hay shared their stories, describing the difficult conditions. The inquiry recommended creating heritage centers at former institutions to help people understand this history.

Today, many survivors of the Hay Institution for Girls visit the gaol to share their experiences with the community. The Hay Gaol Museum helps tell these important stories.

A Museum Today

Since 1975, the Hay Gaol has been protected as a historic site. It is now a museum and cultural center. It is open every day, inviting visitors to explore its past and learn about its many different roles in history.

What the Hay Gaol Looks Like

The Hay Gaol is a special type of prison design by James Barnet. It's called a "Hay-type" gaol. Unlike some older prisons, it has only one story, and its cells are larger. Other similar gaols were built in places like Young, Tamworth, and Wentworth.

The gaol is built with red bricks made right there in Hay.

Walls and Watchtowers

A tall, five-meter-high wall surrounds the entire prison complex. There are two watchtowers at opposite corners of this wall.

The Entrance

The main entrance gate is very grand and decorative. It has fancy brickwork and a royal symbol above the arch. Big wooden doors, with a smaller door inside, make the entrance look very strong. Just inside the gate, there's a small area with bars and two small rooms that were once an office and a guard room.

The Cell Block

Today, the cell block has 14 cells. Its brick walls are very thick. The building has a sloped roof made of corrugated iron. The cells have small barred windows and heavy iron doors with peepholes. One cell still has old-style prison bars. A closed-in porch at the back leads to a large metal shed.

Other Buildings

Inside the walls, there's an L-shaped building that held the kitchen, hospital, bathroom, and a large workshop. Rainwater was collected from the roofs into a big underground tank.

Solitary Confinement

A separate cell for solitary confinement stands in the middle of the compound. There used to be another one next to it.

Homes for Staff

The gaoler's house is outside the main prison walls, next to the entrance. It has a sloped roof and tall chimneys. Another house, for an officer, was added in 1935 on the other side of the entrance.

Changes Over Time

The Hay Gaol has changed a lot since it was first built. Many parts of the building have been updated or modified for its different uses. For example, the catwalk on the perimeter walls was removed in 1961. The cells were changed to include seats and benches when the girls' institution was there. Electricity was also added to the cell block.

Today, the museum committee is working to understand all these changes. They are studying the building to learn more about its long history.

Why the Hay Gaol is Important

The Hay Gaol is very important to the history of New South Wales.

It's a special design: It's a great example of James Barnet's "Hay-type" prison design, which was different from older prisons. It shows how prisons were built in the Victorian era.
Many different uses: It's important because it served so many different roles: an adult prison, a World War II detention center, and a girls' institution.
Connecting with history: It's probably the only building in Australia directly linked to the "Dunera Boys" and the Japanese prisoners of war after the Cowra Breakout.
Social stories: It's very important for the stories of the girls who lived there, especially the Aboriginal girls. Many survivors visit the site to share their experiences.
Local landmark: It's a well-known building in Hay and helps tell the story of the town. It's also part of a network of museums that help bring visitors to Hay.

The Hay Gaol helps us understand how punishment and care for young people have changed over time in New South Wales. It also shows how a building can adapt to many different needs throughout history.