In 1949, the Victorian government made funds available for church institutions to carry out building work in preparation for receiving child migrants. Grants were made to organisations including the Church of England Boys' Society, the Presbyterian Church Social Services Department, Kildonan in Burwood, and the Sisters of Nazareth. The state government (and the British government) would contribute to the upkeep of child migrants living in Victorian institutions.
The total number of child migrants who ended up in the state of Victoria is not clear. In the post-war period, between 1947 and 1953, Sherington and Jeffery state that Victoria received 232 child migrants from Britain. 83 of these went to the Northcote Farm School, 67 to Catholic institutions and 82 children to institutions managed by 'Other' denominations .
Interest in the little-known history of child migration to Australia, combined with the claims of abuse and mistreatment by former child migrants, led to the Inquiry into Child Migration in the Senate which tabled its report, 'Lost Innocents: Righting the Record - inquiry into child migration' in 2001.
In November 2009, the Prime Minister of Australia apologised to Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants.
Last updated:
04 April 2023
Cite this: http://www.findandconnect.gov.au/guide/vic/E000164
First published by the Find & Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
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