In 1859 a number of citizens of Sydney “actuated by philanthropic motives formed a committee for the purpose of establishing a sailors’ home at Sydney where seamen could at reasonable cost obtain comfortable board and lodging and be generally looked after and cared for by persons having only the interests of the sailors using the home at heart”.

Thus began the Sydney Sailors’ Home which through the one hundred and forty plus years of its history has evolved to meet the changing circumstances and requirements of those involved in the maritime industries.
 

(Above: Sydney Sailors' Home  - 1872)

From the first home at the Rocks, opened in 1863, through the purchase of a small residential building followed by the erection and opening of “Mariners’ Court” at Woolloomooloo in 1990 and most recently the purchase of self care units and the provision of scholarships for those wishing to pursue a seafaring career, the Council has continued the aspirations of the original committee.

(At left: Official opening of Mariners' Court by
His Excellency Rear Admiral Peter Sinclair AO,
Governor of New South Wales on 1 December 1990)