THE organisation behind the historic Fairbridge site at Pinjarra has gone full circle during the past century.
THE organisation behind the historic Fairbridge site at Pinjarra has gone full circle during the past century.
Established in 1912, Fairbridge WA was the first to use the Fairbridge name and, as of this month, it is the last.
Over the years the organisation grew to have eight subsidiaries worldwide, but these have amalgamated with other groups, leaving the local body as the last remaining Fairbridge.
Globally the name may have disappeared but in Western Australia the organisation is thriving; it continues to develop its holistic education for young people, offering registered training courses, life skills, mentoring, leadership training and accommodation.
Fairbridge chief executive Mark Anderson said 200,000 young people accessed these services each year and the ‘village’ has developed a broad offering of hands-on vocational courses including construction and catering.
The ‘village’ has 77 buildings on 30 hectares of land and is in the process of establishing a new multi-functional training centre. It also recently announced the development of a renewable energy research park, which Mr Anderson said would provide training opportunities in renewable energy as well as providing 50 per cent of Fairbridge’s energy requirements.
“Our focus is to create space and opportunity for young people to grow within themselves, within society and with the earth. In terms of with the earth, our focus is teaching young people how to live more sustainably within their built, natural and social environment,” he said.
These developments are all part of the organisation’s implementation of a redevelopment program that came out of a major feasibility study in 1996, conducted in order to prove there was a future role for the village, unlike the other Fairbridge organisations that had closed.
The organisation is now in the seventh stage of the $17.5 million revamp, for which it still has $3.5 million to raise from partnering with government and corporate organisations.
Mr Anderson said partnerships had been essential for Fairbridge, and the organisation had 50 formal written partnership agreements with corporate, government and non-government organisations; 36 of those are active.
“Our focus really is on partnerships, it is not about raising money, it is about working in partnership with the corporate community to bring about sustainable change in their operational areas,” he said.
“One of our key focus areas is appropriate training and education of Aboriginal young people to successfully integrate them into the workforce of Western Australia.”
To that end, Fairbridge has partnered with Andrew and Nicola Forrest (Fortescue Metals Group) and organisations such as Alcoa and Newmont to develop indigenous engagement programs.
Fairbridge has also partnered with WA universities to develop its research centre.
Separate to the partnership programs is the organisation’s hosting of events, which also aims to direct funds and clientele to the social enterprise in the village.
The annual Fairbridge Festival is run by Fairbridge Festival Incorporated and is hosted on Fairbridge’s property; it attracts over 6,000 music-loving fans each year, while also exposing them to the work of the organisation.
“The festival is strongly aligned to what Fairbridge is about, in that it is celebrating life and community through music and culture,” Mr Anderson said.
‘‘It also brings people into the Fairbridge community so they can learn about what Fairbridge is about.’’
Mr Anderson told WA Business News he hoped to develop four major annual events on the property. Fairbridge recently hosted the inaugural Brass and Stumps event, which brought cricket players and spectators to the site, and will host a national historical machinery rally later in the year.
