Melbourne parents rally to save 90-year-old Don Bosco Youth Centre from sale

A group of parents in Melbourne's inner-north is calling on the state and local governments to step in and save a youth centre that has been offering free accommodation, entertainment, exercise and mentoring to the community for nearly 90 years.

The Don Bosco Youth Centre and Hostel on Sydney Road in Brunswick has provided short-term housing for young men, as well as free or low-cost programs, trampolines, basketball and birthday parties, since 1939.

Not to mention a locally famous rabbit.

But in recent weeks, a For Sale sign out the front has been a major talking point for the inner north community.

A petition calling on the state government and council to intervene has so far attracted more than 3,300 signatures in a few days.

"Free and low-cost programs aren't a nice-to-have," the petition reads.

"For many kids, they're the difference between taking part and missing out."

'Iconic landmark' to fetch millions

Joel Ma has been taking his six-year-old daughter to the centre since she was two, and said the sale of the site was "heartbreaking".

"Don Bosco is part of the fabric of Brunswick," he said.

"[It is] the soul of Brunswick. It connects old Brunswick to new Brunswick."

He said his daughter learnt how to take turns at Don Bosco, thanks to the bells that let patrons know their turn on the trampoline had ended.

"We might have a balcony but a space like this is our backyard."

The centre is owned by Catholic organisation the Salesians of Don Bosco, which is advertising the site through Melbourne Acquisitions.

The triple-fronted site is being advertised as an "iconic Brunswick landmark" that offers vacant possession over nearly 3,000 square metres, including 74m of street frontage.

It is expected to fetch about $10 million.

It comes as the church faces compensation claims, with the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse finding more than 20 per cent of Salesians were alleged perpetrators.

The Salesians did not respond to the ABC's request for an interview.

Old and new Brunswick

Paul Villani said growing up in Brunswick in the 1970s, Don Bosco was a safe place for kids to hang out after school.

"Growing up there myself, there was always supervision, and you got a bit of moral guidance," he said, adding the young men staying in the accommodation would often help with homework.

Mr Villani now works as a lawyer in an office next door to the youth centre.

He said a former priest from the centre married him and his wife, and baptised his children.

"My father, who migrated to the area, used to go there as a kid and play around there, spend time there on the weekends, and then I went there as a child," he said.

Mr Villani said it would be very sad if it were to close.

Merri-bek City Council said in a statement that it did not have a formal position on the sale of the centre, or calls for the council to step in.

"Council is aware the property has been listed for sale, and that the community feels strongly about the centre remaining open," a spokesperson said.

Labor's candidate for Brunswick in the upcoming Victorian election, Gabe Steger, said the sale was "highly disappointing".

"I'll engage closely on the future of Don Bosco," he said in a statement.

"I am keen to work with the community to make sure its future is given the attention it deserves."

Greens candidate for Brunswick, Adam Pulford, said on social media that Merri-bek Greens would "seek to work with the Victorian Government on how we can save this incredible community asset".

"With so many people barely affording the essentials, having free and cheap community space where kids and families can spend time together and have fun is more important than ever," he wrote on Instagram.

"We need more spaces like Don Boscos, not fewer."

Joel Ma said if the council or government could buy the land, local parents would rally to volunteer to keep the venue operating.

"I can only imagine that parents who have been coming here since their kids have been really young would want to chip in and give back," he said.