Orphan Child Gave Birth At
Nazareth House in Christchurch New Zealand.
On September the 20th 1941 young Dorothy (Dora) Carmine must have wondered what was happening to her body before she realized she had actually given birth to me her illegitimate son.
Dorothy (Dora) had been in the care of the Sisters at Nazareth House in Brougham Street ChristChurch New Zealand since the 5th of January 1935 she was just nine years eleven moths.
Unfortunately her cherished mother had died in the June of 1934 one of six children about which it seems their father had battled to care for his family amidst hard economic times and by early January of 1935 he had made the tough decision to place three of his daughters into the care of the Sisters at Nazareth House.
At a later time it seems the families father became Hospitalized with Tuberculosis and subsequently died on the 15th of September 1940.
Ironically approximately three months to the date of her father’s death somehow someone subjected the now Orphaned Dorothy (Dora) Carmine to the unlawful act of Carnal Knowledge of which I am the product.
It seems the Police were not informed in accordance with the requirements of the then Child Welfare Act 1925 and it’s amendments of 1927 Catholic Orphanages are mentioned in this Act kindly furnished to me by the C.Y.F.S. Government Solicitor which clearly shows a person in charge of an Orphanage had the same powers as the then Superintendent of the then Child Welfare had over children in State care
The Act also ratifies young persons were classified as children until reaching seventeen years of age Dorothy (Dora) Carmine’s date of birth was 25th January 1925 she was born at Millerton on the West Coast of the South Island.
It has been said by former residents Dorothy (Dora’s) job was slaving long hours in the kitchen at Nazareth House it seems even in the state of pregnancy
Immediately following my birth my young mother and I would have been whisked out of there as quickly as possible and according to a Child Welfare C.W. – 20 document, it seems we were admitted to the Louisham Catholic Hospital in the city from where twelve days later my young mother parted company from me her destination was the Mt Magdala Catholic Girls Home
My mother was soon introduced to Mrs White who according to the surviving members of the White family it seems that in 1941 whilst visiting her mother in law Katherine Margaret White who at the time was receiving respite care at Nazareth House it seems Mrs White had been solicited by the Sister in charge at Nazareth House to Foster me the illegitimate Product of Sexual Abuse for them.
It seems when visiting her mother in law the first port of call for Mrs White was the Office of the Sister in charge where it seems Mrs White was treated with Tea Cakes and Sandwiches while she learnt they were embarrassed because I belonged to one of their resident girls and if a placement wasn't found I would be admitted to St Josephs Orphanage.
The moment Mrs White agreed to do thisfor Nazareth House the Child Welfare on the 10th November 1941 issued Mrs White with a License to Foster no more than two infants under the age of (6) six years.
In the view of many it seems those Nuns running Nazareth House in ChristChurch in 1941 had no regard for the fact that hard economic times existed and the White’s were struggling to educate their two younger children who were ten and twelve years of age their eldest son was fighting the second world war and their next son was operating the N.Z. Army Radar Station at Godley Heads.
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