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60th Anniversary of the arrival of the British Child Migrants at Boys' Town

2012 marked the 60th anniversary of the arrival at Boys' Town of 39 British Child Migrants.

On Friday 12 and Saturday 13 October, the College commemorated the occasion of this very important anniversary. Boys' Town was just an orphanage at the time and with the arrival of these Child Migrants, we were able to develop and extend the orphanage into a school, which we now know as ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ»ÆƬ.

The boys were only aged between 9 and 12 years when they came to Australia in 1952, leaving their country, without family, and travelling by boat to a foreign land to begin new lives. They were entrusted into the care of our pioneer Salesians and many of the boys found life very hard because of the pain, trauma and difficulties they experienced in their early years.

10 of these Old Scholars returned to the College to mark the anniversary. They have shown courage, resilience and determination and have been loyal and life-long friends to each other.

During the celebrations, the commemoration plaque that was destroyed in the Chapel fire on May 25, 2003 was re-dedicated, along with a plaque recognising the group who arrived in 1952.

In addition, the College marked the anniversary by officially renaming the 1951 building, which today contains the Bosco corridor, the Siena corridor, the 7-10 office and staff room and the Little Theatre, the Boys' Town Building. This now embeds the name of Boys' Town into the fabric of the College.