The Girls & Boys Brigade has a long history of taking care of inner city children. The charity commenced as The Boys’ Brigade in 1882 when Sir James Fairfax from the Sydney Morning Herald and Mr A S Bennett from the Evening News, along with many other concerned citizens, became deeply concerned about the living conditions and future of boys.

Primarily the concern was for the newspaper boys who were often living in very poor conditions, many were barefoot and were bereft of many simple life necessitates. The Brigade provided free of charge a safe place off the streets, giving the boys a social outlet, comfort, care and skill building activities to increase the prospects for their future.

Since then, the Brigade has delivered continuous services to inner city communities and the Centre in Surry Hills, built in 1912, is a focal for children and youth in the community.


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