The Cobar War Memorial Children’s Hostel, also known as Cobar Memorial Home for Boys, opened in 1951. It accommodated up to 48 children from a large portion of the Western District Division in an area extending up to 200 miles from Cobar, so they could attend school in in the town. In 2013 it was still listed in the Yellow Pages as a hostel.
Cobar War Memorial Children’s Hostel was built as a war memorial in 1950. It was opened by the Minister for Education, RJ Heffron in 1951, and run by a private committee. The funds to build it were raised from residents of the town and district, who subscribed the £17,000 cost. Bursaries and fees assistance for children from poorer families were provided by various funds and organisations, including Cobar RSL.
In 1966, ongoing financial difficulties resulted in the closure of the Hostel on August 25th, at the end of the school term. The closure left little alternative accommodation for the 30 children who had boarded at the Hostel. However, this closure appears to have been temporary, as the Cobar Memorial Home for Boys was mentioned in a 1979 Commonwealth Government report called Why are they in children’s homes: report of the ACOSS children’s home intake survey.
From
1951
To
Current
Alternative Names
Cobar Memorial Home for Boys
1951 -
Cobar War Memorial Children's Hostel was situated at the corner of Barton Street and Blakey Street, Cobar, New South Wales (Building Still standing)
