On 8 November 1926, a group of visionary health and education leaders gathered in the David Jones Blue Room in Sydney to form the Father and Son Welfare Movement – Interrelate’s earliest foundation. Their mission was to strengthen families and support young people through education, guidance and honest conversations.
In 1927, the Father and Son Welfare Movement made a bold and unprecedented contribution to public education in Australia by screening The Gift of Life (1920), a silent film on human reproduction
From its earliest years, the Movement delivered unprecedented health education sessions for women and girls
During the Great Depression, Canon Robert Hammond of St Barnabas’ Church in Broadway offered free board and lodging to the Father and Son Welfare Movement, providing a lifeline that enabled its work to continue through severe economic hardship.
In the 1930s, the Father and Son Welfare Movement faced significant opposition as traditionalist attitudes clashed with emerging calls for scientifically informed sex education
The Guide to Virile Manhood, by Percy Kenny, was a pioneering sex education booklet written “in the interest of Young Australia”.
Happiness and Health in Womanhood released in 1937, was written by Dr Keith Macarthur Brown (1890–1962) but first published under the pseudonym “Cyrus Fullerton”. The use of a pen name reflected the stigma surrounding women’s health at the time and the organisation’s innovative role in challenging them.
As early as 1938, the Father and Son Welfare Movement benefited from the support of radio personality Frank Sturge Harty, a key ally in promoting the Movement’s work through radio publicity.
During the war years of 1939 to 1944, the Father and Son Welfare Movement supported the wellbeing of Australian service people and their families through education and guidance.
The service thrived due to the experience and personal qualities of Percival James Linsley Kenny (1879–1945), the first Director of the movement.
The Guide Through Girlhood (by Florence Kenny, 1882–1953) marked a milestone for the Father and Son Welfare Movement as its first publication authored by a woman.
Following the untimely death of Percy Kenny in 1945, John Robson was appointed Director of the Father and Son Welfare Movement at just 25 years old.
The purchase of the organisation’s first 16mm motion sound-on-film projector in November 1946 marked a turning point in its educational work.
Joyce Favelle was employed in 1949 as one of the first female field representatives and took charge of developing the newly formalised Mother and Daughter Incorporated.
In 1949, the Director undertook a three-week tour of northern New South Wales –visiting Taree, Kempsey, Grafton, Casino, Lismore and Murwillumbah – where the film Facts of Life was screened to enthusiastic audiences.
The establishment of the Victorian Branch of the Father and Son Welfare Movement marked a major step in the organisation’s national growth. The 1951 Annual Report described the new branch as “the advent of what promises to be a very healthy child… launched in close cooperation with Mr W.E
In June 1953, Director John Robson undertook an extensive tour across Northern New South Wales and up to Brisbane, before the Queensland branch was officially launched later that year. Over 18 days he travelled by car nearly 3000 km, delivered a staggering 44 talks, and reached audiences totalling 4,675 people.
In 1955, the organisation released a suite of four publications designed to support parents and young people: Children No Longer!, A Guide Through Boyhood, Tell Your Child the Truth, and Just Friends?.
In 1956, Director John Robson secured the rights to publish Dr David Mace’s manuscript An Introduction to Marriage Counselling—a significant coup that highlighted the organisation’s growing stature and commitment to sharing world-class expertise with Australian audiences.
By the late 1950s, the Father and Son Welfare Movement was experiencing unprecedented demand for its parent–child education programs.
In 1959, the Father and Son Welfare Movement released Australia’s first sex education gramophone record.
The organisation was formally recognised as an approved Marriage Guidance Organisation under Section 10 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1959.
In 1961, under the leadership of Director John Robson and Staff Counsellor Frank Sturge Harty, the Father and Son Welfare Movement launched its first formal training program for family relationship counsellors in response to growing community demand.
In 1961, the establishment of the Hunter Valley and Near North Regional Centre marked a major step in extending the Movement’s work beyond metropolitan areas.
In 1964, the Father and Son Welfare Movement celebrated a remarkable milestone as its “Guide” book series reached one million copies in print.
In 1964, the Father and Son Welfare Movement established a regional Marriage Counselling Centre in the Sutherland Shire.
In 1964, John Herbert, Liberal Member for Sherwood and State President of the Father and Son Welfare Movement in Queensland, delivered a speech in Parliament strongly endorsing the work of Lieutenant-Colonel G. H. Garlick and his wife, Kathleen.
In 1965, The Father and Son Welfare Movement commissioned How the Family Begins, a professionally produced 35 mm filmstrip accompanied by a taped commentary for use in “Mother and Daughter” and “Father and Son” sessions.
In March 1967, ABC’s Four Corners aired The Facts of Life, a landmark investigation into how sex education was being delivered to young Australians.
In 1969, Geoff Horne became South Australia’s first full-time staff lecturer for the Family Life Movement. Operating from a modest office in his own home, he was supported by his wife, Barb, who volunteered her time to manage administration.
After 42 years, the Father and Son Welfare Movement formally changed its name to the Family Life Movement of Australia on 1 February 1969. The decision reflected both the evolving scope of the organisation’s work and shifting social values.
In 1969, the Family Life Movement released Growing Up, Australia’s first sound film created specifically for sex education. This 12-minute colour film marked a major step forward in how the topic was introduced to children.
In 1970, the Family Life Movement’s publishing arm, Specialist Publications, released ‘Understanding Psycho-Sexual Development’ by Chairperson Dr Bruce Henry Peterson AM MC (1918–2013), a leading psychiatrist and foundation committee member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatry.
From 1972, Ken Palmer led efforts to bring the Family Life Movement to Coffs Harbour. A trained and accredited marriage and family counsellor with the Family Life Movement of Australia, Ken began offering free counselling that year from the principal’s office at St Augustine’s Primary School.
In April 1973, the Family Life Movement established a Federal Council to provide national coordination and strategic direction. As noted in the 1972 Annual Report, “the Movement sees a need to re-organize on a national basis so that the work can grow in a coordinated way.”
The 1973 publication of Created Second? by Dr Barbara Thiering marked a significant moment in the Family Life Organisation’s engagement with contemporary social issues, notably the rising women’s liberation movement.
By the time the Family Life Movement had published its two-millionth guidebook, its publications had gone through a significant shift, reflecting broader social changes in attitudes toward sexuality, relationships, and individual autonomy.
In 1975, the Family Life Movement took an important step into regional New South Wales by opening a centre in Dubbo to support families across the Orana and Central Western Region.
‘Being Real About Relationships’, a 17-minute educational film produced in 1975, marked a progressive step in the Family Life Movement’s commitment to honest and thoughtful relationship education.
In the lead-up to the landmark Family Law Act of 1975, the Organisation played a significant role in national discussions, advocating for a more humane and constructive approach to divorce.
In 1976, the Father and Son Welfare Movement was formally recognised as an approved ‘marriage education’ provider in New South Wales, with its services receiving funding from the Federal Attorney-General’s Department.
In 1976 John Robson transitioned from NSW Branch Director to Commonwealth Director of the organisation. At this time he was also appointed to the newly established Family Law Council, where he advised the federal government on policy and implementation from 1976 to 1981.
In 1976, the Family Life Movement celebrated its 50th anniversary with a national program honouring its legacy and impact on Australian families.
Throughout the 1970s, the Family Life Movement of Australia continued its commitment to professional excellence and global thought leadership by bringing internationally recognised thought leaders to Australia, including renowned American family therapist Virginia Satir.
In 1980, Bruce Peterson and John Robson edited the first volume of the ‘Australian Journal of Sex, Marriage and the Family’, created by the Family Life Movement as a professional platform for research on human relationships and sexuality.
In 1980, the Family Life Movement produced ‘What’s Going On’, a half-hour colour film co-created with children from Clovelly Public School.
In October 1981, the Family Life Movement celebrated a significant milestone with the publication of its three millionth sex education guide book.
Under the leadership of Jenny Bolton, a regional centre was established in Lismore in 1983, building on a counsellor training program launched in 1981 with the support of the Attorney-General’s Department.
From the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s, Ian and Gerlinde Spencer shaped the direction of the organisation through their deep commitment to training, counselling and community education. Both were featured in a 3 December 1983 Sydney Morning Herald article as prominent leaders in marriage education and counselling.
By the early 1980s, the Family Life Movement’s adult personal development groups had become an established and expanding part of its service model.