AN INVITATION is going out for all anyone who once resided at the Dhurringile Farm Home for Boys in Murchison between 1951 and 1964.
Uniting, the community welfare organisation of the Victorian and Tasmanian Uniting Church, is the group behind the invitation and is looking to organise a gathering of men who share part of their personal history at the facility.
A gathering is scheduled for Wednesday, February 17 in Melbourne.
Dhurringile was originally a mansion built by one of Melbourne’s most prominent architectural firms as an elaborate homestead in 1877 for pastoralist James Winter.
In 1947, Dhurringile was purchased by the Presbyterian Church for use as a home for immigrant boys from the United Kingdom – primarily Scotland – whose fathers had died during the war.
The intention was to train the boys in farming methods to prepare them for employment.
By this time the homestead was in a deteriorating condition and substantial repairs and alterations were needed, and the Farm Home didn’t open until 1951.
Despite its rich history, life at Dhurringile was spartan. There were difficulties in recruiting boys from Scotland and the scheme had limited success. The Commonwealth Government continued to provide financial support to the home in accordance with an immigration policy to promote British migration, but the problems persisted and Dhurringile was closed in 1964.
Manager of Uniting Heritage Service, Catriona Milne, said it’s likely there are still men in the region who once lived at the historic site, and is reaching out to them, inviting them to get in contact and share their stories.
The Uniting Heritage Service hold records for all the people who lived in state homes or foster care, or who were adopted through the former Presbyterian, Methodist and Uniting Churches.
For more information, contact Catriona Milne via email on catriona.milne@vt.uniting.org.
