The Big Brother Movement was established in 1925 by Richard Linton, a Melbourne businessman, to sponsor the migration of British children and young men. The scheme was intended to address labour shortages in rural Australia by attracting quality migrants. It was originally conceived as a form of sponsorship, by which each boy, 'Little Brothers', would be guided by a 'Big Brother', often an affluent urban professional man, who would be a mentor and foster father and guide the boy in country employment. The Movement had networks in many Australian states.
The first group of more than 200 'little brothers' sailed from England on the Jervis Bay, arriving in Melbourne, via Fremantle, on 14 December 1925. By 1927 over 300 'Little Brothers' had arrived in NSW. Over the coming decades, more than 12,000 young people arrived under this scheme.
The Big Brother Movement, based in Sydney, is now known as Big Brother Movement Ltd Youth Support and welcomes contact from former 'Little Brothers.' Its website has a forum for Little Brothers which includes details of reunions.
Sources used to compile this entry: Naomi Parry, 'Big Brother Movement (1925 - )', in Find & Connect web resource, 2011, http://www.findandconnect.gov.au/ref/nsw/biogs/NE00505b.htm.
Prepared by: Naomi Parry
Created: 5 July 2013
Last updated: 4 August 2023
Cite this: https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/ref/australia/biogs/FE00124b.htm
First published by the Find & Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
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