Bindoon was established by the Christian Brothers in 1936 near Bindoon, north of Perth. It began as a ‘farm and trade school’ for boys aged 12 to 16 years from various backgrounds, including Australian-born boys who were wards of the State and those who had been admitted privately, and (from 1947 to 1966) child migrants…
Chandler Boys’ Farm was established in 1932 on a property at Seven Hills on the banks of the Collie River at Roelands. It was a privately-run training centre for up to 20 unemployed boys aged over 14 years who were selected for placement. Some had parents who paid fees, but others were subsidised. The farm…
Redhill was established by the Anglican Church (Perth Diocese) in 1903 as a ‘senior reformatory school’ and ‘home for neglected boys’, beginning with six boys sent by a magistrate. In 1921 Redhill became a home for boys and youth up to 18 years who were said to be ‘mentally defective’. Redhill closed in 1922 and…
The Padbury Boys’ Farm School was run by the Anglican Orphanages Committee as part of Swan Homes from 1946 to 1955, on land owned by the Anglican church in Stoneville. Boys were sent there to gain training and experience in farm work. The Padbury Boys’ Farm School at Stoneville was part of the Swan Homes…
Millijiddie Station, near Noonkanbah, was run by a local Aboriginal community. In 1981 the Department for Community Welfare sent male Aboriginal teenagers who had been convicted of offences to Millijiddie so that they could receive practical training and guidance. Millijiddie Station was one of a number of pastoral stations that the Department for Community Welfare…
Karalundi, at Crystal Brook near Meekatharra, was established by the Western Conference of the Seventh Day Adventist Church as a ‘native institution’ in March 1954, for up to 50 Aboriginal children and, from 1955, children aged over 8 who were transferred from Wiluna mission. By 1971, there were 61 school-aged children. Karalundi closed in 1974…
Hillston, Stoneville, was a government-run ‘open’ reformatory for adolescent boys on a working farm property. It continued the Hillston, Anglican Farm School, Stoneville. Hillston, Stoneville closed in 1984. Government reports (Signposts, 2004 pp.238-243) show that in 1969 boys from 12 years old were regularly admitted to Hillston. It was a large institution, and during the…
Fairbridge Farm School opened in Pinjarra, Western Australia in 1913. More than 1,000 child migrants were sent from England to the Farm School after World War I, and another 1,520 children after World War II. From the 1960s the Farm School also accommodated some wards of state. Fairbridge Farm School Pinjarra closed in 1981. Fairbridge…
Benmore Presbyterian Children’s Home (often known as Benmore Farm Training School) was established by the Council Presbyterian Children’s Homes in 1947 in Caversham. Originally, it was an agricultural school for older boys but by 1956 girls and boys as young as 5 years old were placed at Benmore. Children who were wards of the state…
Hagley Farm School opened in 1936. It was run by the Tasmanian Education Department. In the 1940s, it provided a residential education to the children of Australian servicemen. From about 1948 until 1955, the School received child migrants from Belgium, Greece, and Britain. During the 1970s, it became Hagley Farm Primary School. The first migrant…