*Please note- This site search does not include the Vic. & Tas. BMD's, Lots o' Links & Worth a Look Books
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WILLIAm MARK FORSTER
TRY BOY'S SOCIETY
1846-1921
William Mark Forster merchant, saddler and philanthropist, was born on 7 Oct. 1846 in Rothbury, Eng.,the 3rd child of Luke Forster, merchant & saddler of Rothbury, and his wife Anne, née Blackett.
On 12 July 1852 the family sailed from Liverpool in the Ellen & arrived in Melbourne on 18 Oct. After attending St.Luke's School in South Melbourne, William worked with a soft goods merchant and commission agent; and in 1864 set up as a general merchant at his father's saddlery business in Little Bourke Street, Melbourne. He married Mary Jane McLean on Sept. 1st 1869 & had five sons and eight daughters.
From 1871 to 1874 Forster was in Auckland, N.Z. where he established Forster & Son. saddlery. He returned to Melbourne and joined his father in Luke Forster & Son, saddlers & harness makers. In 1903 in partnership with one of his sons & a daughter he established Forster & Co., manufacturers of women's clothing in Hosier Lane, Melbourne.
Forster's wife died in 1908, he married Mary Alice Gowdie, née Crook, who later died in 1930; they had a son. Concerned for the welfare of children and young people, and conscious of the demoralizing influences in some Melbourne streets and alleys, Forster searched for boys who wandered aimlessly or gathered idly at street corners. Devoting himself unsparingly to their welfare, he established youth services which, were far ahead of his time and he gained a remarkable acceptance and help for his work from influential sections of the community.
In 1883 Forster invited three wandering boys to his home in Toorak to spend the evening with his family. The following week each boy was invited to bring a friend. When the gatherings became too large, the vicar of St John's Church of England, Toorak, loaned him the Sunday School Hall. From a spirit of comradeship
among these boys and Forster's counsel that they must always try to overcome their obstacles and disappointments, the 'Try Society' emerged, with activities ranging from games and gymnasium to reading, singing and talks from their leader.
Late in 1884, when the hall was no longer available, Forster joined forces with William Groom, a journeyman hatter, who in 1878 had brought together a similar group of boys in North Fitzroy to form the 'Excelsior Class'. By 1885 the two groups had joined under Groom's leadership to become 'The Try Excelsior Class'.
Seeing the urgent need for expansion of the movement, Forster raised funds to provide a salary for Groom, enabling him to devote his full time to the work. 'Try Excelsior' groups were formed in the adjoining suburbs of Melbourne & the boys aged 7-18 (sometimes up to 20), were taught principles based on self help & self government electing their own officers & committee of which determined the group's activities, made its rules & imposed penalties. In 1886 Forster established the Newsboys' Try Excelsior Class, which met in a shed in Lt Collins Street. In 1889 a building, named the Gordon Institute for Boys, was opened. Forster
relinquished the management and leadership of the Gordon Inst. Newsboys' Try Excelsior Class in 1890, but retained his seat on the board of management until 1891.
In 1887 the Toorak and South Yarra Try Boys' Society reopened & In 1888 a farm near Lilydale to provide training for boys for whom Forster found work in the country. Forster kept closely in touch with these boys; their replies show warm appreciation.
In 1892 classes for girls were held, but due to lack of premises, disbanded in 1913. 1898-1907 Forster published the 'Australian Boys' Paper, which ceased for lack of funds, but 1909 the 'Try Boys' Gazette' took its place.
In 1901 problems of health & business led Forster to resign the leadership of City Newsboys but he remained on its committee. He continued as leader and manager of his Try Society, renamed 1918 the William Forster
Try Boys' Society, until he died in Melbourne on 6 June 1921.
Deeply religious, William Mark Forster had great moral courage. He continually exhorted the boys to be honest, truthful, kind, courageous & hard working & above all, to seek guidance from the Scriptures. His wife and family shared his enthusiasm in his work & the societies continue. The original Try Society's Committee of has never lacked an active member of the Forster family.
Reference
Australian Dictionary of Biographies
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/forster-william-mark
On 12 July 1852 the family sailed from Liverpool in the Ellen & arrived in Melbourne on 18 Oct. After attending St.Luke's School in South Melbourne, William worked with a soft goods merchant and commission agent; and in 1864 set up as a general merchant at his father's saddlery business in Little Bourke Street, Melbourne. He married Mary Jane McLean on Sept. 1st 1869 & had five sons and eight daughters.
From 1871 to 1874 Forster was in Auckland, N.Z. where he established Forster & Son. saddlery. He returned to Melbourne and joined his father in Luke Forster & Son, saddlers & harness makers. In 1903 in partnership with one of his sons & a daughter he established Forster & Co., manufacturers of women's clothing in Hosier Lane, Melbourne.
Forster's wife died in 1908, he married Mary Alice Gowdie, née Crook, who later died in 1930; they had a son. Concerned for the welfare of children and young people, and conscious of the demoralizing influences in some Melbourne streets and alleys, Forster searched for boys who wandered aimlessly or gathered idly at street corners. Devoting himself unsparingly to their welfare, he established youth services which, were far ahead of his time and he gained a remarkable acceptance and help for his work from influential sections of the community.
In 1883 Forster invited three wandering boys to his home in Toorak to spend the evening with his family. The following week each boy was invited to bring a friend. When the gatherings became too large, the vicar of St John's Church of England, Toorak, loaned him the Sunday School Hall. From a spirit of comradeship
among these boys and Forster's counsel that they must always try to overcome their obstacles and disappointments, the 'Try Society' emerged, with activities ranging from games and gymnasium to reading, singing and talks from their leader.
Late in 1884, when the hall was no longer available, Forster joined forces with William Groom, a journeyman hatter, who in 1878 had brought together a similar group of boys in North Fitzroy to form the 'Excelsior Class'. By 1885 the two groups had joined under Groom's leadership to become 'The Try Excelsior Class'.
Seeing the urgent need for expansion of the movement, Forster raised funds to provide a salary for Groom, enabling him to devote his full time to the work. 'Try Excelsior' groups were formed in the adjoining suburbs of Melbourne & the boys aged 7-18 (sometimes up to 20), were taught principles based on self help & self government electing their own officers & committee of which determined the group's activities, made its rules & imposed penalties. In 1886 Forster established the Newsboys' Try Excelsior Class, which met in a shed in Lt Collins Street. In 1889 a building, named the Gordon Institute for Boys, was opened. Forster
relinquished the management and leadership of the Gordon Inst. Newsboys' Try Excelsior Class in 1890, but retained his seat on the board of management until 1891.
In 1887 the Toorak and South Yarra Try Boys' Society reopened & In 1888 a farm near Lilydale to provide training for boys for whom Forster found work in the country. Forster kept closely in touch with these boys; their replies show warm appreciation.
In 1892 classes for girls were held, but due to lack of premises, disbanded in 1913. 1898-1907 Forster published the 'Australian Boys' Paper, which ceased for lack of funds, but 1909 the 'Try Boys' Gazette' took its place.
In 1901 problems of health & business led Forster to resign the leadership of City Newsboys but he remained on its committee. He continued as leader and manager of his Try Society, renamed 1918 the William Forster
Try Boys' Society, until he died in Melbourne on 6 June 1921.
Deeply religious, William Mark Forster had great moral courage. He continually exhorted the boys to be honest, truthful, kind, courageous & hard working & above all, to seek guidance from the Scriptures. His wife and family shared his enthusiasm in his work & the societies continue. The original Try Society's Committee of has never lacked an active member of the Forster family.
Reference
Australian Dictionary of Biographies
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/forster-william-mark
1. Rothbury
2. Border Reivers
3. Early Life
4. Try Boys
5. Boys' Farm
6. Gordon Institute
7. Newsboys
8. 'Try' Today
9. Finding Records
2. Border Reivers
3. Early Life
4. Try Boys
5. Boys' Farm
6. Gordon Institute
7. Newsboys
8. 'Try' Today
9. Finding Records
Rothbury, Northumberland
Cragside House, Rothbury, Morpeth, Northumberland
The revolutionary home of Lord Armstrong, Victorian inventor and landscape genius, was a wonder of its age.
Built on a rocky crag high above the Debdon Burn
geograph.org.uk
The revolutionary home of Lord Armstrong, Victorian inventor and landscape genius, was a wonder of its age.
Built on a rocky crag high above the Debdon Burn
geograph.org.uk
Rothbury and the Simonside Hills, Northumberland
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Rothbury
Is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, located on the River Coquet, northwest of Morpeth and north-northwest of Newcastle upon Tyne. Rothbury has had a turbulent and bloody history. In the 15th and 16th centuries the Coquet Valley was a pillaging ground for bands of Reivers who attacked and burned the town with terrifying frequency. Near the town's All Saints' Parish Church stands the doorway and site of the 17th century Three Half Moons Inn, where the Earl of Derwentwater stayed with his followers in 1715 prior to marching into a heavy defeat at the Battle of Preston.
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The Jacobites moved south into England with little opposition, and by the time they reached Preston in Lancashire, had grown to about 4,000 in number. Their horse troops entered Preston on the night of 9 November 1715, and as they approached, two troops of dragoons and part of a militia regiment retreated to Wigan.
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The Battle of Preston
(9–14 November 1715) The Battle of Preston, sometimes called Preston Fight, was fought during the Jacobite Rising of 1715 (Sometimes referred to as- First Jacobite Rising, or Rebellion by supporters of the Hanoverian govt).
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Scotland and England were frequently at war during the late Middle Ages During these wars, the livelihood of the people on the Borders was devastated by the contending armies. Even when the countries were not at war, tension remained high, and royal authority in either kingdom was often weak. Other factors which promoted a predatory mode of living among them, was the survival in the Borders of the inheritance system of gavelkind, by which estates were divided equally between all sons on a man's death, so that, many people owned insufficient land to maintain themselves. |
Also, much of the border region is mountainous or open moorland, unsuitable for land farming but good for grazing. Livestock was easily rustled and driven back to raider's territory by mounted reivers who knew the country well. The raiders also often stole easily portable household goods or valuables, and took prisoners for ransom.
Gavelkind was a system of land tenure associated chiefly with the county of Kent, but also found in Ireland and Wales and some other parts of England. Its inheritance pattern is a system of partible inheritance, which bears resemblance to Salic patrimony (clan-based possession of real estate). Under this law, land was divided equally among sons or other heirs. Over the centuries, various acts were passed to degavel individual manors but, in England and Wales, it was the Administration of Estates Act 1925 that finally abolished the custom
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Very little regard had the good folk of Rothbury for the laws, their love of venison frequently led them into trouble
Partible Inheritance is a general term applied to systems of inheritance in which property is apportioned among heirs. It contrasts in particular with primogeniture (common in feudal society), which requires that the whole or most of the inheritance passes to the eldest son, and with agnatic seniority where the succession passes to next senior male.
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Religion did not have a particularly strong influence in Rothbury and other parts of the Border country, in days gone by and preachers tended to avoid the area The attitudes of the English and Scottish governments towards the border families, alternated from indulgence, even encouragement, as these fierce families served as the first line of defence against invasion across the border, to draconian and indiscriminate punishment when their lawlessness became intolerable to the authorities. (wiki) |
Border Reivers
The Border Reivers, were raiders along the Anglo-Scottish border from the late 13th century to the beginning of the 17th century. Their ranks consisted of both Scottish and English families, and they raided the entire Border country without regard to their victims' nationality. Their heyday was perhaps in the last hundred years of their existence, during the time of the Stewart Kings in Scotland and the Tudor dynasty in England.
wikipedia
wikipedia
Border Reivers Surnames Names
electricscotland |
If your surname is Armstrong, Maxwell, Johnston, Graham, Bell, Scott, Nixon, Kerr, Crozier or Robson then your family history, just like the astronaut Neil Armstrong’s, may very well be intertwined with the Border Reivers. Scottish Border Families This web page provides genealogy information for 29 generations (nine centuries) of Border Clan Scott, whose members include poet and novelist Sir Walter Scott (Generation 17) james.com |
The Reiver came from every social class from labourer to peer of the realm. He was a skilled horseman and fine guerrilla soldier, practised in the fine arts of arson, kidnapping and extortion. There was no social stigma attached to reiving, it was simply an accepted way of life. It is said that the wife of one famous Border Reiver demonstrated that her larder was empty by serving her husband his spurs on a plate instead of his dinner. The message was clear either mount up and go reiving, or go hungry. Reiving was simply a way of earning a living.
historic-uk |
Many defensive structures were built to keep families safe during raids. The most notable are pele towers. Constructed with massively thick walls, the towers were usually 3 to 4 storeys high with a battlemented roof. The windowless basement held livestock, whilst above were the living quarters of the family.
explorepenrith List of places in the Scottish Borders
wikipedia |
BLAKEHOPEBURNHAUGH, Northumberland This border village place name is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest name in England, with 18 letters. The name means black valley stream with flat riverside. English Border Villages CLANS AND FAMILIES
borderreivers.co.uk |
A Geordie Dictionary
This is a light-hearted selection of dialect words from the North East of England. Many of these words are still in current use or recalled by older dialect speakers englandsnortheast.co.uk |
Something Other than Fighting
THE HOLY WELL OF HOLYSTONE The village of Holystone (sometimes pronounced Halystane in the local dialect), is on the south side of the Coquet, to the east of Harbotttle. It is said to be the place where in the easter of 627 A.D, the Roman missionary, Paulinus baptised 3000 Anglo-Saxons, including the Northumbrian King, Edwin. The site of the baptism is said to be marked by the ancient Lady's Well, now looked after by the National Trust. |
Early Life
William M. Forster worked as a Saddler before coming to Australia with his family.
In 1864 he became a general merchant at his father's saddlery business in Little Bourke St. Melbourne
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He had 13 children with his first wife, then after she died,
had another child with his second wife
had another child with his second wife
Hosier Lane runs along side of The Forum up near Russell Street
Hosier Lane now. It's famous for its street art & a little different from when
Forster & Co. were there in 1903 Forster's Father died in 1886
The Argus (Vic.) 11 November 1886
Sands & McDougall directory-
exhibition brings old Melbourne back to life The Exhibition is long gone (2014) but the article is worth reading. smh.com.au |
In 1903 in partnership with one of his sons & a daughter he established Forster & Co., manufacturers of women's clothing in Hosier Lane, Melbourne
Hosier Lane Melbourne in 1972
Hosier Lane
emelbourne The Western Australian Post Office Directories
slwa.wa.gov.au SOUTH AUSTRALIAN DIRECTORY 1902-1930 (Sands)
findmypast Sands Directory search N.S.W.
The City of Sydney has now obtained a complete digital edition of the directory from WF Pascoe, scanned from the microfiche, and is making it available for public access through this website. cityofsydney Finding the history of Tasmanian buildings
Through your research you may find out when the building was built as well as who lived or worked there linctas VICTORIAN P.O. DIRECTORY (Wise) 1888, 1904, 1914
findmypast |
During the time that he set up the business in Hosier Lane, he was still spending long hours with the Try Boy's Society, plus having 14 children of his own!
Try Boys Society
Motto
Try, Try Again
Try, Try Again
William Mark Forster constantly assured young people that if they were prepared to try they would be amazed at what they could accomplish. 'In fact' he told them: 'we should consider ourselves a TRY Society'.
The Toorak home where the Try Society
was founded in 1883 Try Boys Society- South Yarra
Joseph John Rudduck
Twice rejected in Melbourne for active service, Rudduck booked a passage to London and joined the King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment, gaining his commission shortly thereafter. Lieutenant Rudduck lost his left arm in action in France, but following repeated requests was susequently permitted to return to the trenches, where he later died from further wounds on 5th June 1918. Ruddock's brother, Ernest, served with 57th Battalion in France. |
Classes in their Wedderburn hall, with the Stained Glass window in the background, to honour Joseph John Rudduck
Letters of Joseph John Rudduck
Four letters sent from Europe by Rudduck to his family, while on active service. ANZAC Memorabilia victoriancollections |
William Edward Groom started the Excelsior Class in Fitzroy, around the same time as Forster started the Try Class
Argus (Melbourne, Vic.), Thur 2 September 1915
Mr. Groom believed that the majority of the Melbourne public were not aware that youth could be dragged down to vice & crime because of their environment
Prahran Telegraph (Vic.), Sat. 14 September 1889
The Age (Vic.) 10 April 1885
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The Age (Vic.) 20 June 1884
Groom & Forster joined Forces
S.A. Advertiser (Adelaide), Wed. 26 November 1884
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By April 1885, they had 1600 boys
Very Nice Band jackets Mrs Hadfield!
Great Team Work, well done Mr. Price!
Their own Swimming Pool on completion
Photos from The State Library of Victoria Collection
Boy's Farm
Sir R Talbot Officially opening the Boys Farm [Wedderburn]
Wedderburn is a rural town in Victoria, Australia on the Calder Highway, past Bendigo. It is 214 kilometres (133 mi) north of Melbourne
Northern Star (NSW), Wednesday 22 August 1923
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Prior to the Wedderburn Home, The Society had access to a farm from 1888, near Lilydale, Victoria
Argus (Melbourne, Vic.) 11 November 1887
The Society purchased the Wedderburn farm in 1923, unfortunately, William Forster didn't live long enough to see it
The Argus (Vic.) 5 December 1922
In May 1925 W.T. Hughs-Jones, leader and secretary of the Try Boys Society sought to establish a school at their Clifden Home in Wedderburn.
Table Talk Melbourne 20 December 1923
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The Gordon Institute
In 1887, associates George Coppin, E L Zox, Francis Ormond and William Forster were instrumental in founding the Gordon Boys Institute, which was an un-denominational organisation planned to help homeless boys in Melbourne.
They chose the name of Gordon as a tribute to the memory of the hero General Gordon
They chose the name of Gordon as a tribute to the memory of the hero General Gordon
Annual Picnic of the Gordon Boys with the Try Excelsior Boys
From- Young People and the Shaping of Public Space in Melbourne, 1870–1914 By Simon Sleight
The two Wiseman Brothers became bankrupt, with the collapse of the land boom in the 1890s, their two identical houses remained on the estate and were tenanted.
At the close of the first world war, both were taken over by the Army as hospitals. One became and Infectious Diseases Hospital, the other was the staff hospital. One of the homes was also used as St. Agnes Church of England Girls Home 1922 to 1964. One of the homes has since been demolished. |
The Argus 20 February 1890
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The New building for the Gordon Institute for boys, was built in Bowen Street, near Swanston Street in 1899
It later became part of the Royal Melbourne Institute buildings.
It later became part of the Royal Melbourne Institute buildings.
The Home was named after General Charles Gordon
Statue of General Charles Gordon (Melbourne)
Gordon Reserve, cnr of Spring Street EAST MELBOURNE Gordon, the 'Great Christian General' Was one of the most popular Englishmen of his day, and his reputation was forged on the battlefield and through his Christian activities at Gravesend. |
Evening News Sydney 17 February 1885
The Statue of Gordon in Gravesend, Kent England
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Gordon's death was mourned throughout the British Empire & so great was the Australian public's response that a fund to produce a copy of Thornycroft's London monument for Melbourne was heavily oversubscribed. Although Gordon did not set foot on Australian soil, the monument is of great historical importance as his death prompted the dispatch of the first Australian troops overseas, a regiment from NSW.
Read more.........
Read more.........
Newsboys
Around 5pm when people are hurrying to get to their comfortable homes to eat a nice meal, they seldom think about the newsboy waifs who stand on the corner, offering them their paper
Most, came from terribly poor families, if they weren’t homeless and alone. From 1895, the City Newsboys' Try Society was situated in a store-room at 192 Little Collins Street. William Forster felt that the Newsboys needed their own place. |
Where the Newsboys met at 192 Little Collins Street Melbourne, next door to the Bijou Theatre,
between Swanston & Russell Streets. Mahlstedt fire insurance plans 1910 (SLV)
between Swanston & Russell Streets. Mahlstedt fire insurance plans 1910 (SLV)
The above building at 192 Little Collins Street, if the same as where the Newsboys met? has gone from such humble beginnings, to now being full of luxury apartments, each around the million dollar mark.
“At our Hall, 192 Little Collins Street, boys of the humblest social grade ever find a heart and a hand ready to help them when sympathy and practical assistance is needed. There we furnish a resort for them where innocent and recreative amusements and instruction are supplied… such as will induce them to abandon our back slums and lanes, where the cultivation of evil practices is the rule, not the exception.”
Read all about us (Stories from Old Newsboys) |
“There was a newsboy on most corners. They were part of the fabric of Melbourne. They were part of the life and the sights and the
sounds of this city. The Newsboy Foundation The Newsboys Foundation has an impressive history, first as a Melbourne-based club for newsboys from 1893 until 1973, and then as a Foundation supporting community organisations working with disadvantaged young people in Victoria. |
Throughout its long life, the organisation has remained true to its core objective of supporting young people in our community who need assistance to realise their full potential.
Read more..........
“You had to have a shout if you wanted to sell and I’d practised mine. I remember standing in the tram one night going home, dog-tired, and suddenly yelling it out: ‘Getcha ‘Erald!’. It just came out, and everyone laughed
“…The paper sold by the newsboy counts for nothing; it is the news, and the news alone, that matters. He who thinks of a newsboy as merely a vendor of paper fails to recognise both the dignity of the boy’s office and his vital niche
in the scheme of things.
in the scheme of things.
The Street Boys’ Song in the Try Excelsior News 1893
Down in the haunts of the city, Mid the darkness of squalor and sin, We find the poor lads we are seeking, And tenderly gather them in. |
Read the lyrics to other songs written about Newsboys- “Extra! Extra!” “The Pride of Newspaper Row, Jimmy” “The Newsboys Sweetheart” Plus stories of the NYC Newsboys circa 1899 |
Newsboys in New York City had lodging houses that were run by the Children's Aid Society, a benevolent organization founded by Rev. Charles L. Brace in 1853.
No. 9 Duane Street. The Newsboys' Lodging House history site, New York City |
Boys from the Duane Street Newsboys Lodgings NYC
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The Famous photo of Newsboy Ned Parfett, Announcing The Sinking Of The 'Titanic' Outside of
The White Star Line Offices Titanic news vendors in Washington
They Delivered bad news to people everyday, but what bad news did they have to go home to?
Did they even have a home? Newsboys in England
The Children's Friend Society (1866) maintained a home for NewsBoys in Liverpool, England, which took in sixty-five street boys
Read more.......... |
Newsboys everywhere, were living and surviving under similar conditions
Some were so young,
barely school age |
The Orphan Train (U.S.)
“Dear Sisters, By the love of God be so kind as to take this poor orphan child and if she should die, please to bury her for me and I will be very happy. . . . I can't afford to bury her.”
Anonymous letter, along with the unnamed infant attached to it, was left in a basket outside New York’s Foundling Asylum of the Sisters of Charity in the 1860s. This was all too common. In 1853, Charles Loring Brace started the Children’s Aid Society (NYC), which organised the exodus of orphans by the trainload. He hitched the foster-care-cum-employment agency to the expanding railroad system.
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Children would board a westbound train in groups of up to forty, accompanied by two agents from the society, and preceded by circulars advertising, said Holt, “their ‘little laborers,’ as they were called.” When the trains stopped, the children were paraded from the depot into a local playhouse, where they were put up on stage, thus the origin of the term “up for adoption.” They took turns giving their names, singing a ditty, or ‘saying a piece. Although the demand was motivated by a need for labor, the Children’s Aid Society took pains to ensure the children were well cared for. Families applying to take children had to be endorsed by a committee of local business owners, doctors, and journalists.
Read more........
Read more........
Beautiful Photo from- The Children's Center
who Celebrated 135 Years of Service and Dedication to Galveston, Harris, Fort Bend and Brazoria Counties (Texas) in October, 2013. The babies are from the Old Galveston orphange
who Celebrated 135 Years of Service and Dedication to Galveston, Harris, Fort Bend and Brazoria Counties (Texas) in October, 2013. The babies are from the Old Galveston orphange
Try Society Today
VISION
That all Victorian young people have the opportunity to reach their full potential.
That all Victorian young people have the opportunity to reach their full potential.
Initially, TRY Australia developed youth clubs and provided trade training as a constructive answer to the juvenile delinquency problems of that time. Since then, TRY Australia has broadened its reach and developed programs to meet the ever changing needs of disadvantaged young people, long term unemployed and families who live in Victoria.
Who touches a boy by the Master’s plan, Is shaping the house of
the future man
the future man
Geelong Advertiser (Vic.) 7 June 1921
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At the simple service for William Mark Forster
Held in the Try Society's Institute, South Yarra, high tributes were paid to the life of the late Mr. William Mark Forster, well known as the "boys' friend," by those whom his kindly influence had reached. Mr. Edgar, M.L.C., who gave a brief address, said that the late Mr. Forster's life had been one of love. The value of his work had not yet dawned upon people. Since he had first gathered together a few boys, no fewer than 10,000 had passed through the door of opportunity which he had held open to them. Into their minds he had inculcated the love of God. He had given of his best. " The value of his work had not yet
dawned upon people" (Mr. Edgar, M.L.C. 1921) Forster and Groom's efforts have had such far reaching effects, as to last well over 100 years. Even Mr. Edgar when he made this statement, could not have imagined just how many children the 'Try Society' have and will yet help. |
Incidents in the life of a Street Boy
Try Boys Brigade- Geelong
Geelong Try Boys' Brigade
Charles Shannon convened a meeting in 1897, with the purpose of forming a "poor boys' club" which would provide boys who usually spent their evenings on the streets with something to do. He wanted disadvantaged boys to benefit from the same opportunities his own sons enjoyed. He told them he had seen at first hand the excellent work being done by William Mark Forster, a businessman who had founded the Try Boys' Society in Melbourne thirteen years earlier. This organisation was going from strength to strength and the successful merging of destitute youths with those from better off families saw no sign of class barrier. A common interest in games, gymnastics, singing, reading and friendship drew the boys together. He told them Forster constantly reassured the boys they could achieve a great deal if they were only prepared to try. This gave rise to the organisation's name. Shannon told the men at this meeting that while he was in Melbourne he had visited the Gordon Institute, the News Boys' Club and the Try-Excelsior Club in Toorak and felt he could emulate this work in Geelong. Shannon introduced the new committee members to Joseph Yeowart, manager of the Melbourne Try Boys' Society, who had agreed to become leader and manager of their new club. On a motion, it was agreed that "for the present" the club should be called The Geelong Try Boys' Brigade - the name it proudly carries a century later.
Read more........
Charles Shannon convened a meeting in 1897, with the purpose of forming a "poor boys' club" which would provide boys who usually spent their evenings on the streets with something to do. He wanted disadvantaged boys to benefit from the same opportunities his own sons enjoyed. He told them he had seen at first hand the excellent work being done by William Mark Forster, a businessman who had founded the Try Boys' Society in Melbourne thirteen years earlier. This organisation was going from strength to strength and the successful merging of destitute youths with those from better off families saw no sign of class barrier. A common interest in games, gymnastics, singing, reading and friendship drew the boys together. He told them Forster constantly reassured the boys they could achieve a great deal if they were only prepared to try. This gave rise to the organisation's name. Shannon told the men at this meeting that while he was in Melbourne he had visited the Gordon Institute, the News Boys' Club and the Try-Excelsior Club in Toorak and felt he could emulate this work in Geelong. Shannon introduced the new committee members to Joseph Yeowart, manager of the Melbourne Try Boys' Society, who had agreed to become leader and manager of their new club. On a motion, it was agreed that "for the present" the club should be called The Geelong Try Boys' Brigade - the name it proudly carries a century later.
Read more........
Records in Australia &
where to find them
where to find them
Victoria
William Forster Try Boys' Society Records, State Library of Victoria (1887 - 1986)
(not as yet online)
Melrose Farm Records (includes lists of inmates):1929-1960
· List of Employers and Lads Engaged by them: 1894-1922
· Correspondence & details- Melrose Boys' Home includes reports of various boys in their care: 1950-1956
· Wages & Maintenance Account Book for individual boys: 1899-1918
· Probation Officer's report book, Northcote Children's Court: 1955-1959
Try Society reports- trove listing
Ward Registers (known as Children's Registers 1864 - 1887) PROV
Department of Industrial and Reformatory Schools- PROV
Department for Neglected Children and Reformatory Schools :report of the Secretary and Inspector 1916
Adoption, Wardship and Related Records Guidelines- PROV
Organisations which operated 'Care' services in Victoria
(not as yet online)
Melrose Farm Records (includes lists of inmates):1929-1960
· List of Employers and Lads Engaged by them: 1894-1922
· Correspondence & details- Melrose Boys' Home includes reports of various boys in their care: 1950-1956
· Wages & Maintenance Account Book for individual boys: 1899-1918
· Probation Officer's report book, Northcote Children's Court: 1955-1959
Try Society reports- trove listing
Ward Registers (known as Children's Registers 1864 - 1887) PROV
Department of Industrial and Reformatory Schools- PROV
Department for Neglected Children and Reformatory Schools :report of the Secretary and Inspector 1916
Adoption, Wardship and Related Records Guidelines- PROV
Organisations which operated 'Care' services in Victoria
For Children in Catholic Homes Contact Mackillop Family Services
Mackillop Family Services
Mackillop Family Services
New South Wales
State Library of Qld- Information on Other States