With her husband Court Oldmeadow, Joyce Oldmeadow was a vigorous patron of children's literature in Australia. Together they established a children's bookshop in Melbourne that enjoyed an international reputation. More significantly, they developed Dromkeen Homestead, near Melbourne, into a thriving centre of children's literature. At Dromkeen they collected original artwork from children's books, manuscripts, photographs of children's illustrators and authors, first edition books, and other relevant material, to become the Courtney Oldmeadow Children's Literature Foundation (also known as the Dromkeen Collection). In 1976 the Children's Book Circle of Great Britain jointly awarded to the Oldmeadows the Eleanor Farjeon Award for their services to children's literature.