St Kilda Police & Citizens Youth Club

the st. kilda police and citizens’ youth club was founded in 1947 by, mrs olive johnston, following the discovery of a few local youths stealing apricots from her front garden. it dawned on mrs johnston that if nothing was to be done, these young men would go on to live very difficult lives and, as such, the need for a charitable association became apparent. with that, the first meeting of the then, st. kilda boys’ club, was held at her home on september 22, 1947. the initial meeting was attended by 14 youngsters who were all catered for with games, outdoor activities and even homemade supper. as news spread, numbers grew and space became scarce. no less than three weeks later, her home could no longer support the fifty youths she had managed to bring in and so the club moved from church hall to church hall, even going as far as to use one of the prestigious meeting rooms in the st. kilda town hall. it wasn’t long before young women from the area began to attend as well, which resulted