From 1925 to 1982, young British men migrated to Australia under the Big Brother movement. Photo: State Library/supplied
The call is out — Queensland’s Little Brothers are holding a reunion in Brisbane on Tuesday to mark a centennial milestone.
Little Brother is the name given to a British young man who migrated to Australia under the Big Brother Movement (BBM) scheme.
The BBM started in 1925 and ended in 1982 by which time almost 12,000 British youth aged 16-21 years had moved to Australia, assigned a Big Brother guardian and training and given jobs in rural and trade industries.
QLD REUNION
Date: Tuesday, June 17
Time: 12pm-3pm
What: Free event open to Little Brothers and/or their descendants.
Where: Rose and Crown Hotel, 275 Grey Street South Brisbane (map below).
“We know that many of our ‘Little Brothers’ have lost touch with BBM and with each other,” says Suellen McCaffrey, chief executive officer of BBM.
“As we celebrate 100 years, we want to honour their stories, the impact this program had on their lives and the contributions our former Little Brothers made to shaping modern Australia.”
That task was made difficult as the movement discouraged Little Brothers from keeping in touch, encouraging them to assimilate — and the loss of records.
“This centenary, celebrating 100 years of journeys, is not just about looking back — it’s about reconnecting and celebrating the legacy of those who took a leap of faith and built new lives here,” McCaffrey explains.
LITTLE BROTHER
Stuart Gearey remembers the ‘raw’ conditions in Australia when he arrived from Scotland as a 16-year-old in 1957.
“I gained invaluable experience in all aspects of farming and life skills that made me savvy and self-reliant,” he recalls.
His jobs on the land including working as a groom to Laurie Morgan, who won two equestrian gold medals at the 1960 Rome Olympic Games.
Little Brother Stuart Gearey. Photo: BBM
“It was a pivotal teacher-student bond that had a lasting influence on my life,” he says.
Gearey says there were two golden rules for Little Brothers.
“We were told not to leave the state or buy a motorbike. I did both.”
He has lived in Queensland since 1959 and declares that he is “Australian through and through”.
CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
The BBM centennial celebrations began in early March at the Training Farm in Sydney, where many Little Brothers started their new life.
Gearey drove from Queensland to attend that celebration, accompanied by his wife of 33 years, whose father was a Little Brother.
“We also have a celebration in August at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney and many others across Australia,” McCaffery says.
“We look forward to meeting any former Little Brothers and their families at these events and hear their stories.”
The organisation is collecting testimonials and photographs; a recent study estimated that there are more than 97,000 direct descendants of the Little Brothers.
Former participants and families can contact the BBM via their website (www.bbmaustralia.org.au) or email [email protected].
