Old Fairbridgians' Association of Western Australia
The Old Fairbridgians' Association of Western Australian was formed as far back as 1930. The Association was established as a benevolent instrument to provide after-care and support for Fairbridge boys and girls who had graduated through their traineeship and gone out into the workforce in the general community.
In the old days, Fairbridge boys and girls generally left the Farm at around the age of 16-17 years and went off to work in predominantly farming or domestic positions. Western Australia, in those days, was very much in "pioneer" mode and many of the boys and girls found jobs in places quite remote from Perth and even Pinjarra and communications back to the Farm and between each other was difficult. There were many times that these boys and girls needed to return home - through sickness, through termination of their job, or simply to take a holiday back home. Their home was Fairbridge and the Old Fairbridgians' Association ensured that these people had a welcoming and friendly home to return to, as they often did.
The Clubhouse was purposely build back in 1933 as a home for visiting Old Fairbridgians.
Just take a look at some of the published pages on this site from "The Fairbridgian" magazine (the voice of the O.F.A.) to see the extent of involvement of Old Fairbridgians, staff and even Board members in the Association over the years.
As time passed and the role of Fairbridge changed thus the number of Old Fairbridgians who needed this level of after-care dwindled. Nevertheless, the Association is very much alive and well today and still provides a communication line between Old Fairbridgians, provides regular news letters for members, and organises regular get-togethers such as annual ANZAC Day, Founder's Day and Christmas functions.
An important day every year is the celebration of Founder's Day - Kingsley Fairbridge. Each year on the Sunday closest to Kingsley's untimely passing (July 19, 1924) many Old Fairbridgians make a pilgrimage to the Farm and remember Kingsley and also meet up with many old friends over lunch in the Clubhouse. All Old Fairbridgians and friends of Fairbridge are very welcome and it would be great to see you at the next function. You can see the date below .. please come!
Current OFA Committee - Names and photos of the current Committee
History of OFA Committees - past committee members
OFA - Application for Membership - Please print this out & join today!
"The Fairbridgian" Magazine - A fabulous collection of pages from the Magazine from 1931 to 1956
OFA News Letters - Excerpts from News Letters from 1977 to present day
Old Fairbridgians' Oral History Invitation - An invitation to share your memories with us
Scheduled OFA Events:
ANZAC Day - Sunday May 4th, 2008 at the Memorial Gates. The Parade will muster at 10.45am. If it's wet then this will move to the Clubhouse.
Founder's Day 2008. This will be held on the Farm on Sunday 27th July. It's a great time to catch up with old Fairbridge acquaintances so we encourage everyone to come along. Last year a few of us over-nighted on Saturday so why not try to join us this year for the same? It really made the whole experience much more meaningful. If you're interested please drop me a line ASAP. gordon@fairbridgekids.com
To Contact the OFA:
Secretary, PO Box 560, Victoria Park WA 6979, Telephone 08 9250 4414
e-mail oldfairbridge@yahoo.com
A History of Fairbridge Farm School, Pinjarra, Western Australia
Home | OFA | Our History | Present Times | Notices | About This Site | Links | Site Map