A birth registration was found for Jean Broadbent: Mother's Maiden Surname: Walker; Date of Registration: Apr May Jun 1951; Registration district: Bradford; Registration county: Yorkshire - West Riding; Volume Number: 2b; Page Number: 368. Parents: Roy Broadbent and Ada Walker, married 1948, Bradford, Yorkshire, England.

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

The siblings spent 18 months at Fairbridge Farm School. At one point, she and her sister, Dorothy, ran away from Fairbridge and when they were found they were returned and placed in Lilac Cottage.

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.