Michael Forshaw (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Saturday, 22 August I was privileged to attend the 70th anniversary celebration of the establishment of Boys’ Town at Engadine in NSW. Engadine is in the Sutherland Shire, south of Sydney. People living in the shire and many others often refer to it as ‘God’s Own Country’.

When it comes to Boys’ Town that is true. Established in 1939 it was the second such project in the world, following the much publicised Boys Town in Nebraska USA. The original was established by Father Edward Flanagan in 1917 and immortalised in Spencer Tracy’s and Mickey Rooney’s classic movie.

In Australia in 1939, an Irish born priest at Sutherland, Father Thomas Dunlea, inspired by the Nebraska story, sought a solution to the plight of troubled and homeless boys. He established an Australian version of Boys Town. The location of Father Dunlea’s Boys’ Town was Engadine. At the time, it was a sparsely populated area beyond the southern fringe of metropolitan Sydney, largely bush, with few facilities and services. In 2006, the centenary of the Sutherland Shire, Father Dunlea was named one of the ‘100 Faces of The Shire’.

In the intervening 70 years, Boys’ Town has become synonymous with youth care and with offering a second chance and many times the last chance for young people and their families. It is fair to say the local community regard Boys’ Town Engadine with great pride. It is part of our community and part of our history. Living in the shire all my life, and in the Engadine area for over 30 years, I have witnessed firsthand the activities of Boys’ Town. I know the esteem in which it is held in the wider community.

Over the decades Boys’ Town has relied on the support of the local and broader community to maintain its very existence. Countless individuals and organisations have generously donated their time and talents to assist in fundraising projects for Boys’ Town. Finance has always been a challenge for Boys’ Town, but over the decades major Boys’ Town fundraising ventures have attracted the support of a wide range of generous people to both organise and contribute, ensuring its survival and continuing services. Prominent public figures, media, entertainment and sporting identities have generously come to the fore when Boys’ Town has sought support. Those fundraising events have ranged from the fetes with the humble chocolate wheel and lucky dips to the black tie dinners.

The highest admiration however is for all those who have worked in Boys’ Town over its 70 years. Many have been volunteers ranging from lay helpers to the religious priests and brothers, who have dedicated their entire lives to working for the betterment and care of young people. It takes special people with great patience, determination and compassion to spend their lives working in this difficult area and in particular facing some of the very difficult challenges faced by the young boys and now young girls at Boys’ Town. Their reward has been to see the success of their work in the young men who have left Boys’ Town to take their place in the world.

After its establishment in 1939, the De La Salle order of teaching brothers operated Boys’ Town with Father Dunlea. They worked in incredibly difficult conditions to provide an education for the boys in an area which had few of the mod cons of living. With generous support from the community and sheer hard work they built dormitories, classrooms, a kitchen, a butchery, a bakery and playing fields. Those buildings still stand there today.

In 1951 the operation of Boys’ Town was taken over by the Salesians of Don Bosco. The Salesians are a religious order of Catholic priests and brothers founded in 1859 by Don Bosco. Don Bosco was an Italian priest who worked to assist the disadvantaged youth of Turin in Italy. He named his congregation the Salesians, after St Francis De Sales. Don Bosco’s work with the disadvantaged and impoverished youth of Turin was the inspiration in the establishment of both the Nebraska and Engadine boys’ towns.

The philosophy of Boys’ Town is based on the belief that every person is unique and on the view of its founder Father Dunlea that there is worth in every individual regardless of their race, creed or social economic status. Father Dunlea and all his supporters, both previously with Father Flannagan and since, followed the simple motto, ‘There is no such thing as a bad boy.’

In the last 70 years, over 5,000 young men have been part of the Boys’ Town community. Many have gone on to be prominent in the community. One famous ex-student is the late Ben Lexcen, the designer of the yacht Australia II, which famously won the America’s Cup in 1983. But the Boys’ Town of 2009 is very different from the Boys’ Town of past decades and in this way it reflects the changing needs of youth in our society. It is no longer an institution where large numbers of young people come to live for long periods. Rather today it provides a comprehensive service to adolescents and their families who are at risk of family breakdown but who want to restore their relationship.

Boys’ Town is also an accredited Year 10 school providing a nurturing educational program to re-engage difficult children with a history of problems at school and home. The program includes life skills experiences such as camping, sporting activities, communication, anger management, cooking, cleaning and personal hygiene. As well as a residential program, Boys’ Town also conducts a day program for both boys and girls who are struggling to cope in a mainstream school environment. About 80 per cent of the young people who attend Boys’ Town return to full time school, TAFE or work in the long term. This is an impressive achievement when you consider that 100 per cent of the young people begin their program at Boys’ Town are in crisis.

Boys’ Town is also an out-of-home care service with live-in arrangements from Monday to Friday, which allows a family some respite to bring about necessary changes in behaviour and the rebuilding of family relationships. The administration of Boys’ Town is now vastly different. There are no longer Salesian priests or brothers working full time on the staff. The board is now chaired by Mr Michael McDonald and the executive director is Mr Jim Doyle—both lay people who, with their board members, do a wonderful job continuing this great tradition.

The Salesians are still actively involved through the resident chaplain, Father Frank Bertagnolli, a man who has given and continues to give a lifetime of service to ensuring the survival of Boys’ Town. It is said that on at least three occasions Father Frank has ensured the survival of Boys’ Town when they faced severe financial difficulties.

Seventy years on Boys’ Town faces new tasks and new challenges in a very different society to the late 1930’s. Some of these include dramatic changes in family life with increasing tensions and failures; new challenges facing young people; calls for increased skills and accountability in caring; the need for even more financial support for improvement in facilities and services for young people—and they expressed great gratitude for the recent financial support for the Building the Education Revolution; and finally, the need to care for both boys and girls.

A large crowd was in attendance at the 70th anniversary to witness the reconsecration of the grave of founder Father Thomas Dunlea. A museum of Boys’ Town, located on the site, was opened by New South Wales Minister for Community Services, the Hon. Linda Burney. The museum pays tribute to all those of who have been part of Boys’ Town and is a wonderful museum with both physical and photographic exhibits.

Whilst the Boys’ Town board has to face the new challenges of the 21st century, they continue to be inspired by the wonderful words from the Gospel of Matthew:

Whenever you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.

I congratulate Boys’ Town on 70 years of service. I trust the community and all levels of government will continue to generously support their work.