Stewart House

Sited on a hill overlooking the South Curl Curl Beach, Stewart House offers a form of respite care to children from schools in NSW and the ACT.  It opened in 1931 to provide preventive and remedial treatment for NSW schoolchildren suffering from malnutrition. Its name honours Sir Frederick and Lady Stewart, who donated funds for the project. Its day-to-day operations were initially funded by the Hospital and Relief Society formed by members of the NSW Teachers Federation. In 1937, the NSW Teachers Federation appointed a committee to manage the Stewart House Preventorium.

From the first days of Stewart House, its programs have included learn-to-swim classes arranged via the NSW Education Department and local swimming clubs.

In 1977, a secondary school and senior dormitory opened at Stewart House.

Stewart House now serves children with physical, social or emotional needs, who may never have had any other beach holiday. At no cost to their families, children engage in environmental, physical and social activity programs, visit places of interest in the Sydney area and receive a medical and dental assessment as well as dental and optical treatment during the weeks of their stay. Around 2,000 children a year spend time at Stewart House. As a form of social tourism, Stewart House has much in common with the better-known Far West Children's Scheme.

Teachers and children in NSW government schools continue to raise funds for Stewart House in a great variety of ways including 'Mad Hair Days', 'Mufti Days', sales of clothing and Stewart House dolphins and contributions from teachers' salaries.

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