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Western Australia - Organisation

Burnbrae Presbyterian Children's Home (1938 - 1956)

Burnbrae Presbyterian Children's Home, 1947, courtesy of Uniting Church Archives, Western Australia..
Details

From

1938

To

1956

Categories

Children's Home, Home and Presbyterian

Alternative Names

Burnbrae (also known as)

Burnbrae Presbyterian Children's Home was established by the Council Presbyterian Children's Home in 1938, in Byford. Children who were wards of the state and private children were admitted, both boys and (from 1940) girls. Burnbrae accommodated children from under 6 years to secondary school age. Children were transferred to Benmore in Caversham when Burnbrae closed in December 1956.

Burnbrae Presbyterian Children's Home was established by the Presbyterian Children's Homes Committee (later, Council) on a rural property in Byford.

In 1953, Burnbrae was described as being able to accommodate up to 52 children, including boys up to 10 years of age (older girls stayed at Burnbrae; it is possible that boys older than 10 were sent to Benmore in Caversham). Children went to the Burnbrae Primary School, Armadale High School and Perth College.

By December 1956, children and young people were transferred to Benmore, and Burnbrae closed.

Events

1938 - 1956: Address - Burnbrae Presbyterian Children's Home was situated on a large rural property east of State Forest Lot 22, Hills Road, Byford. Location: Byford

Run By

Council Presbyterian Children's Homes (1938? - 1963?)
Date: 1938 - 1957

Related Archival Collections

Uniting Church (Synod of Western Australia) Archives, Records (1918 - 1980s)
Uniting WA Records (1920s - )
People who were in Burnbrae are invited to make enquiries or raise concerns through UnitingCare West, which has inherited the history of Presbyterian child welfare agencies.

Related Archival Items

Burnbrae - buildings and works (1941 - 1967)
Burnbrae - buildings and works, State Records Office of WA (1941 - 1967) includes a drawing of the location of the Burnbrae Home, Burnbrae Primary School and major roads (1954) and information about the disposal of the Burnbrae Home's buildings.
Burnbrae (late Byford Presbyterian Children's Home) - attendance (1942 - 1964)
Burnbrae (late Byford Presbyterian Children's Home) - attendance (1942 - 1964) has information about the school-related activities undertaken by children at Burnbrae Presbyterian Children's Home. People who were in Burnbrae may remember some of the events summarised here, from remarks recorded in the journal.

Date: 1942 - 1956
Item 070 - School Journal, Burnbrae Glen, Byford (1948 - 1956)
The School Journal [Burnbrae Glen, Byford] has information about the school-related activities undertaken by children at Burnbrae Presbyterian Children's Home. People who were in Burnbrae may remember some of the events summarised here, from remarks recorded in the journal.

Date: 1948 - 1956

Related Archival Series

Files - Child Welfare, State Records Office of Western Australia (1917 - 1972)
Files - Community Welfare ("A" Series), State Records Office of Western Australia (1908 - 1990)
Files - Departmental [Education Department] (1885 - 2000)
School Journals [Burnbrae Glen School] (1941 - 1958)
The School Journal [Burnbrae Glen, Byford] (1941 - 1947) has information about the school-related activities undertaken by children at Burnbrae Presbyterian Children's Home. People who were in Burnbrae may remember some of the events summarised here, from remarks recorded in the journal.

Date: 1941 - 1956
Uniting Church Archives Children's Homes Database, Western Australia (1922? - 1980s)

Related Glossary Terms

Ward (1927 - 2004)

Related Organisations

Benmore Presbyterian Children's Home (1947 - 1962?)
Benmore and Burnbrae were the two Homes run by the Council Presbyterian Children's Homes. By mid-1957, all the children from Burnbrae had been transferred to Benmore.

Date: 1956? - 1957?
WA School for Deaf Children (1896 - 2001)
In his submission to the Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care, a man who lived at the Burnbrae Presbyterian Children's Home (1938 - 1956) remembered going for summer holiday camps at the WA School for Deaf Children in the 1940s.

Publications

Reports

Western Australia. Child Welfare Department, Annual Report of the Child Welfare Department, Child Welfare Department, Perth [W.A.], 1928-1972. Details

Online Resources

'Submission No. 496 Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care: Submissions', in Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care - Submissions received by the committee as at 17/3/05, Senate Community Affairs Committee, Commonwealth of Australia, 24 November 2004, http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Community_Affairs/Completed_inquiries/2004-07/inst_care/submissions/sublist. Details
'Submission No. 462 Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care: Submissions', in Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care - Submissions received by the committee as at 17/3/05, Senate Community Affairs Committee, Commonwealth of Australia, 16 September 2004, http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Community_Affairs/Completed_inquiries/2004-07/inst_care/submissions/sublist. Details
'Submission No. 363 Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care: Submissions', in Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care - Submissions received by the committee as at 17/3/05, Senate Community Affairs Committee, Commonwealth of Australia, 17 March 2005, http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Community_Affairs/Completed_inquiries/2004-07/inst_care/submissions/sublist. Details
'Submission No. 319 Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care: Submissions', in Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care - Submissions received by the committee as at 17/3/05, Senate Community Affairs Committee, Commonwealth of Australia, 17 March 2005, http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Community_Affairs/Completed_inquiries/2004-07/inst_care/submissions/sublist. Details
Heritage Council of Western Australia, 'Burnbrae Orphanage', in inHerit, Western Australia State Heritage Office, Government of Western Australia, 8 February 2015, http://inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au/public/p/8481. Details
Information Services, Department for Community Development, Signposts: A Guide for Children and Young People in Care in WA from 1920, Government of Western Australia, 2004, https://signposts.communities.wa.gov.au//pdf/pdf.aspx. Details
Mofflyn, 'Submission No. 160 Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care: Submissions', in Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care - Submissions received by the committee as at 17/3/05, Senate Community Affairs Committee, Commonwealth of Australia, August 2003, http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Community_Affairs/Completed_inquiries/2004-07/inst_care/submissions/sublist. Details

Photos

Title: Report of Childrens Homes Committee, 1939 [excerpt]
Type: Document
Date: 1939
Source: Uniting Church (Synod of Western Australia) Uniting Church Children's Homes File, Western Australia Archives
Note: ‘Report of Childrens Homes Committee, 1939 [excerpt]’ gives information about the establishment of the Burnbrae Presbyterian Children’s Home

Details

Title: Burnbrae Presbyterian Children's Home
Type: Image
Date: 1947
Source: Uniting Church Archives, Western Australia.

Details

Title: Dedication and Official Opening of Benmore
Type: Document
Date: 17 May 1947
Source: Uniting Church (Synod of Western Australia) Uniting Church Children's Homes File, Western Australia Archives
Note: ‘Dedication and Official Opening of Benmore’ gives information about the Burnbrae Presbyterian Children’s Home

Details

Title: John Moss C.B.E. U.K. Child Welfare Expert. Visit to Australia. Part II
Type: Document
Date: 1951 - 1952
Source: National Archives of Australia
Note: Burnbrae and Benmore had applied to join the post-World War Two British child migration program but the institutions were not approved. Page 31 of the John Moss Visit to Australia file Part II gives some insight into the reasons for this decision.

Details

Title: The Children's Homes, 1953 [Presbyterian Children's Home Council, excerpt]
Type: Document
Date: 1953
Source: Uniting Church (Synod of Western Australia) Uniting Church Children's Homes File, Western Australia Archives
Note: ‘The Children’s Homes, 1953 [Presbyterian Children’s Home Council, excerpt]’ gives information about the Burnbrae Presbyterian Children’s Home

Details

Title: Burnbrae Home and School location map, 1954
Type: Image
Date: 26 February 1954
Source: State Records Office of Western Australia

Details

Title: Burnbrae School Journal
Type: Image
Date: 1956 - 1958
Source: State Records Office of Western Australia

Details

Sources used to compile this entry: Burnbrae Home and School location map, 1954 [Image], Date: 26 February 1954; Dedication and Official Opening of Benmore [Document], Date: 17 May 1947; Information Services, Department for Community Development, Signposts: A Guide for Children and Young People in Care in WA from 1920, Government of Western Australia, 2004, https://signposts.communities.wa.gov.au//pdf/pdf.aspx; Western Australia. Child Welfare Department, Annual Report of the Child Welfare Department, Child Welfare Department, Perth [W.A.], 1928-1972.

Prepared by: Debra Rosser

Created: 15 March 2011, Last modified: 4 June 2014

Burnbrae Presbyterian Children's Home (1938 - 1956)