Big Brother Movement Records

This collection is made up of records created by the Big Brother Movement in managing the Big Brother-Little Brother sponsorship scheme which resulted in over 12,000 youth migrants coming to Australia. The collection includes administrative, financial and governance records of BBM, as well as personal cards and other records about the boys (known as Little Brothers) who came to Australia under this scheme. These records were held by BBM before being transferred to the State Library of New South Wales in 2023.

Access conditions

The collection is restricted as it contains confidential and personal information. Contact the Big Brother Movement for access to these records.

Records

The collection contains 5 series:

Series 1: Big Brother Movement administrative records

This series contains minutes from the Big Brother Movement Council, Executive Committees and State Council. There are also records about governance, including the BBM Constitution, and employment information.

Series 2: Big Brother Movement financial records

This series contains financial records of BBM, including wages and cash books, donations received and purchase and sale of properties and assets.

Series 3: Big Brother Movement correspondence

This series of correspondence is organised by who the correspondence was with, including government departments, associates in London who assisted in recruiting Little Brothers, and other charitable organisations.

Series 4: Little Brother personal records

This series contains the personal records of Little Brothers who migrated to Australia under the sponsorship of BBM. These include record cards, arrival information, application forms and enquiry forms. Original documents, such as birth certificates, school reports and medical information are also included in some cases. These were held by BBM as the legal guardian of the Little Brother and where possible, returned to the Little Brother when he turned 21. The original documents in this series were not returned to the Little Brothers because BBM had no contact details for them. Some photographs are also contained in this series.

Series 5: Alan Gill research papers

These are research materials compiled by author Alan Gill in the process of writing Orphans of the Empire, Interrupted Journeys, Likely Lads and Lasses and other articles about child and youth migration.