St Aidan’s Orphanage has been seen historically as a benign, holy and bountiful presence on Bendigo’s skyline
However, its magnificent gates and imposing architecture hide a story of sexual and emotional abuse, suicide, beatings and solitary confinement.
DIANNE DEMPSEY spent three months talking to and researching the stories of nine “fallen girls” who found themselves in the care of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd.