A birth registration was found for Irene C Broadbent: Mother's Maiden Surname: Walker; Date of Registration: Jan Feb Mar 1957; Registration district: Bradford; Registration county: Yorkshire - West Riding; Volume Number: 2b; Page Number: 236. Parents: Roy Broadbent and Ada Walker, married 1948, Bradford, Yorkshire, England.

In 1964, Irene Broadbent, 6 (along with sisters, Margaret Broadbent, 14; Dorothy Broadbent, 10; Jean Broadbent, 13; and brothers: Harry Broadbent, 12; Alexander (Alec) Broadbent, 9), arrived at Sydney, Australia in a group of children from Fairbridge Farm Schools.

The siblings spent 18 months at Fairbridge Farm School. They were fortunate enough to have both of their parents residing in Australia, and were able to see them on weekends when her parents traveled to Fairbridge. Their parents were staying in aircraft hangers and had to be established in Sydney before being able to remove their children from Fairbridge. The children were quite scared to tell their parents of the incidents at Fairbridge because they feared they would only get into more trouble once their parents had gone home.