Fairbridge Farm School recognised by the St Govt for its heritage values

25/4/98

The only remaining Australian Fairbridge Farm School has been recognised by the State Government for its heritage values, Heritage Minister Graham Kierath said.

Mr Kierath said Pinjarra's Fairbridge Farm School was the only remaining site in Australia where tangible evidence remained to illustrate how the Child Emigration Society operated in Australia and Canada.

"This place forms a rare cultural environment that is an achievement in planning and design and as such is to be placed on the Heritage Council's interim register of heritage places," the Minister said.

"The farm has a non-institutional village-like setting, surrounded by native and introduced flora, forming a rare and attractive parkland."

Kingsley Fairbridge established the Child Emigration Society in Oxford in 1909 as part of a plan to provide practical education for children, especially in the areas of farming and domestic duties.

Three years later, Fairbridge and his wife moved to Western Australia and began the first Fairbridge farm with monies from the society.

In 1918 Fairbridge started an Australian branch of the society and two years later bought 3000 acres for a new farm school in Pinjarra.

The farm quickly took shape with cottages, a dining hall, kitchen, family home, classrooms and farm buildings erected by 1923.

"The buildings were exceptional for their day, not only in size, their organisation and that they were excellent examples of Inter-War Old English architecture, but also for their plan as they were spread out in a village-style setting," Mr Kierath said.

However, setting up the Farm School had taken most of Fairbridge's scant resources, forcing him to devote much of his time to lobbying for financial support from Government.

"It is believed that anxiety about funding, together with the labour of setting up the farm school led to a deterioration in Kingsley Fairbridge's health and he died in 1924," Mr Kierath said.

"By the time he died, the vision and plan for the school had been firmly established and progressed in line with his vision."

A good standard of education was a key ingredient of the Fairbridge vision and the school provided additional practical training after children reached 14 to help them enter the workforce.

Fairbridge also provided an after-care service where old Fairbridgians were visited in their first jobs, encouraged to return to the farm school for their holidays, get married in the school chapel and a trust fund for each former student was established.

By the early 1930s there were 346 children on site and a year later the Church of the Holy Innocents was constructed, designed by well-known architect Sir Herbert Baker.

"A campaign began in England in 1934 to build more farm schools on the Fairbridge model and two years later a school opened in Northcote, Victoria," Mr Kierath said.

"Other schools were built in Launceston and Adelaide as well as in Canada, however, little remains of those buildings today."

During World War II the number of children fell dramatically and the school was used to train young women as farm hands and provide accommodation for students from the Guildford Grammar School.

After the war, Fairbridge received British Migrant Children and a need for accommodation led to many buildings being renovated after receiving little maintenance during the war.

In 1956 following a report which criticised Australian institutions for accepting child migrants Fairbridge decided to take single parent families and families with many children.

However, numbers dwindled and Fairbridge officially closed in 1981, being bought by Alcoa two years later.

In 1989, Fairbridge WA Inc leased the site and continues to manage the farm school for youth education and recreation.

"These uses are in line with Fairbridge's original vision and ideals," Mr Kierath said.

"Most of the buildings on the site remain in use - the church is used for weddings and special services, the hospital is used as a private residence and most cottages are available for short-term rental.

"Fairbridge WA is actively seeking funding to conserve the buildings and members of Fairbridge WA must be congratulated for their commitment to the project."

Media contact: Steve Manchee 9481 2133