Birralee

Birralee was a children’s home that was opened in Wagga Wagga on 27 March 1971 by the Church of England Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn. It provided cottage care for seven children. In 1976, after changes to NSW Government funding of out-of-home care, the Diocese closed the home.

The decision to close Birralee was taken by Bishop Warren, who told the Church of England Synod in August 1976 that ‘the work of caring for needy children was in a considerable state of flux’ as the Department of Youth and Community Services was constantly reviewing its procedures, as were several branches of the church. Bishop Warren said that a research programme, sponsored by the Anglican Diocese and the Salvation Army, was considering a range of questions about the care of children:

“Are children best helped by means of care in children’s homes or by foster placement or by placement with a single parent or by some combination of these alternatives?” the Bishop said.

“The Anglican diocese recognises that the volume of work to be done in this field is as great as ever, it will use the six months from September to March in order to clarify its mind about the possibilities open to it”.

It is assumed that Birralee did close in 1977.