Reclaiming history

In 1863 four Irish nuns were sent to establish the order of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd in Melbourne. For more than a century, their Abbotsford Convent was home to one of Australia’s largest Catholic congregations, as well as to thousands of women and girls who were placed in its care. While some “penitents” arrived voluntarily, many were confined against their will.

In the 1990s the complex was bought by a developer with plans to turn it into flats but a residents’ group led a campaign that resulted in it going into community ownership. Two…