suitcase badges from Roslyn Hall Children's Home, Murray Dwyer Boys Orphanage, Protestant Homes Booklet from Burwood Boys' Home – 'Valuable Household Hints' ceramic elephant with broken trunk canvas shoes badges from Morialta Homes baby doll dressed in white wool
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Wilma Robb

Eyes to the ground, and welcome to Hay

When I went into Hay, I got admitted in, in the office – there were two offices, one each side – I was put in, told the rules. “You – we can – you can either do this easy, or you can do it the hard, it’s entirely up to you. We’ll either make or break you.”

And I was taken through those iron doors, iron grilled doors, and led into the cell block, or marched into the cell block and they put on my clothes, introduced to my cell, which was, the first one was two down on my right, or left as I walked in. I was put in this chair, and one, two males, held my arms onto the chair – it was like a dentist’s chair – and, while the other one hacked my hair, dropped the hair on my knees, and I just looked up, and Mr Harris said, “Eyes to the ground, and welcome to Hay.” And that was my introduction to Hay.

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