Werribee Farm School, near Wundowie, was established by the Methodist Church in 1928 to train boys aged 10 to14 years in farm work. By 1953, girls were admitted to Werribee (then called 'Allandale') with their brothers. The property was sold in 1962.
Werribee Farm School, near Wundowie, was established by the Methodist Church in November 1928 to train boys aged 10 to14 years in farm work.
In 1938, the objectives of the Werribee Boys' Home (Farm School) were described in the Report by the Royal Commissioner on Youth Employment and the Apprenticeship System (p.lxix) as 'housing and training boys in farm pursuits' and accommodating 'boys who, on prospects, appear to have less opportunity than the average boy (e.g., boys from poor homes) and destitute orphan boys.'
The Royal Commissioner recommended (p.lxx) that the Government pay a maintenance allowance of 10 shillings per week for each 'destitute orphan boy' at Werribee provided the school undertook vocational and general education and training to the satisfaction of the Education Department. By 1940, this recommendation had not been implemented.
By 1953, girls were admitted to Werribee (by then called 'Allandale') with their brothers. The property was sold in 1962.
Sources used to compile this entry: Report of the Royal Commission on Youth Employment and the Apprenticeship System, Royal Commissions Held in Western Australia, Parliament of Western Australia, 28 February 1938, http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/intranet/libpages.nsf/WebFiles/Royal+Commission+1938/$FILE/RC1.pdf. p.lxix.; 'Motion - Child Welfare Department. Maintenance of Children', in Hansard Archive 1870 to 1995, Parliament of Western Australia, 4 December 1940, https://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/Hansard/hansard1870to1995.nsf/83cc4ce93b5d4e0b48257b33001cfef6/BF96AA998FE9A93748257A4E0010E9F2/$File/19401204_Assembly.pdf; Goulding, D., Creagh, H. and Jenkins, T., The Barefoot Boys of Werribee: the untold story of the Methodist Home for Children, by those who were there, Uniting Church in Australia, Western Australia, 2009; Information Services, Department for Community Development, 'able 64: Young People at the Werribee Farm School (Tom Allen Memorial Home, Allendale), 1930 - 1962', 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.
Prepared by: Debra Rosser
Created: 15 December 2013, Last modified: 7 November 2018