Farm life for reformatory girls : being an account of a visit to "Brookside" Private Reformatory, with editorial comments / by Mem. (Melbourne : Melville, Mullen & Slade and M.L. Hutchinson, 1890)
Brookside Farm was established by Mrs. Elizabeth Rowe in 1887 to provide a country life for neglected and wayward girls. After training in farm work and domestic duties, many of the girls found employment in the homes of squatters, farmers and nearby townsfolk. The editorial comments, which follow the journalist’s description of the visit, make a case for the closure of the Coburg Reformatory for Girls in favour of expanding Brookside Farm and establishing another similar one in the country. However, in 1899 seven of the girls absconded and, when caught, complained of harsh treatment. As a result, the women’s rights activist, Alice Henry, visited the farm and wrote critically about their methods. In 1903, after the death of Mrs. Rowe, it was closed.
