United Protestant Homes

An illustration of a red bird with colorful wings perched atop a tree branch on a white background. A blue border with white text circles the illustration.

The United Protestant Association (UPA) of New South Wales was established in 1938 by Thomas and Rosetta Agst in response to the lack of homes available for impoverished Protestant children. Before the Agsts established the UPA, the nearby Roman Catholic Convent had taken in the protestant children. A bitter division had formed between Catholics and Protestants and the Angsts felt the need to open a home specifically for the protestant children. Many of the children were British migrants affected by the war. Between 1950 to 1990, the UPA had housed over 3,000 children in thirteen UPA homes. As of the 1990s, the homes have been converted to aged care facilities as the cost of providing residential care to children had become too much.

The UPA sold buttons, or “Tinnies”, to help raise funds. The UPA offered a variety of colorful designs, Some featuring the faces of children, while others displayed animals and birds.