It’s been a local fixture for 87 years, providing accommodation for young men, free after-school, weekend and holiday programs for hundreds of kids a week, an affordable venue for birthday parties, a pool, basketball courts, table tennis and trampolines.
But now the Don Bosco Hostel and Youth Centre in Brunswick could be lost to the community, with locals fighting to stop its closure ahead of its planned sale.
The Catholic Church’s Salesian Society is advertising the hostel and youth centre at the corner of Sydney Road and Tinning Street for sale to “occupy or develop”.
The Salesians property sell-off comes as the order struggles to shore up its finances after its outsized role in the Catholic Church’s historical abuse of children, with 20.9 per cent of Salesians of Don Bosco alleged to have been perpetrators at the time.
Jeremy Zylberberg launched a petition calling on the Merri-bek City Council and the Victorian government to urgently work together to save the Don Bosco centre and keep it in the community.
“Families come from well beyond Brunswick for this, because there’s very little else like it anywhere nearby, free or low-cost, for young people,” the petition states. “If it closes, that gap won’t be filled somewhere else. It will just disappear.”
The petition, which has amassed more than 2000 signatures in two days, warns that many of the families who rely on the Don Bosco the most are the ones who can least afford the alternative.
“Don’t let Don Bosco Youth Centre fall into developer hands,” the petition states.
Kate Longley is a single mother who lives around the corner from the Don Bosco and has been taking her children Jesse and Henrietta there since they were born.
“We started going to Don Bosco very early on, when they couldn’t even actually jump on the trampolines, they just crawled on the trampolines,” she said. “We just love the sense of community that’s there, it’s free, you can pet rabbits, you can play basketball outside, you can do air hockey and trampolining.”
Longley said some people who take their kids to Don Bosco used to go there themselves when they were kids and it was the first place they went to when they immigrated to Australia.
“I live in an apartment, so having some more space for [my kids] to use their energy is really important to me,” she said. “I don’t have a big backyard, and I’m never going to have space for a trampoline. I don’t know of any other place like it.”
The property is listed for sale with Melbourne Acquisitions director Dominic Gibson as comprising
two interconnecting double storey brick buildings across 2975 square metres of commercial zoned land.
It has hostel accommodation with 30 rooms, residential facilities, a commercial kitchen, a chapel, indoor and outdoor recreation areas, a function room, offices and a separate retail outlet.
Gibson did not respond to questions but said in a statement Don Bosco was “an iconic Brunswick landmark” suited to both occupiers and developers.
“It is anticipated the opportunity will attract and appeal to a broad range of groups such as education providers, religious congregations, medical, food and beverage/hospitality, retail and living sector operators,” the statement said.
The Salesian Society also did not respond to questions but said in a statement the decision to sell Don Bosco followed a strategic review of its portfolio and the property was identified as an “underutilised asset”.
Merri-bek City Council Mayor Nat Abboud said the council had not adopted a formal position on the sale of the Don Bosco Centre or the petition calling on the council and government to save it.
“Council is aware the property has been listed for sale, and that the community feels strongly about the centre remaining open,” she said.
Gabe Steger, the Labor candidate for Brunswick, said it was disappointing to see the heritage-listed community site up for sale.
“I’ll be engaging closely on the future of Don Bosco, and I am keen to work with, and alongside, the community to ensure its future is given the attention it deserves,” he said.
A Victorian government spokesman said the government did not fund Don Bosco and had not received a funding proposal for it.
“The decision to sell the Don Bosco Youth Centre and Hostel is a matter for them,” he said. “We’ve put more than $7.2 million into scout halls and community facilities across Victoria, and a further $1 million into youth hubs across the state.”
Anasina Gray-Barberio, Greens MP for Northern Metro, said Don Bosco was part of the fabric of Brunswick.
“It’s where generations of local kids have played, where teenagers have found a safe place to belong, and where families have built lifelong connections,” she said. “Losing it would be a devastating blow to our community.”
Gray-Barberio said Don Bosco was the definition of a third space – somewhere people can gather, build relationships and be part of a community without being expected to spend money.
“The speed and strength of the community response shows how much this place matters,” she said. “Thousands of people have already signed petitions and spoken out because they know Don Bosco isn’t just a building – it’s a cornerstone of community life in Brunswick. The Victorian government and Merri-bek Council need to get around the table urgently and explore every option to save Don Bosco.”
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