Immigration Stories
Throughout history stories have been used to illuminate, to educate, to recount, to challenge and to engage. Every individual’s life experience is unique and dynamic, particularly for those of us who have journeyed far from our homes to establish new lives in foreign countries.
Australia’s migrant history has enabled us to develop into the strong nation we are today. Personal stories and anecdotes are an important opportunity to enrich the public record and to embellish our history. Immigration Place Australia encourages the collection of immigrant stories. By giving a voice to our immigrants, we hope to record significant experiences with increased depth and nuance. We envision an opportunity to connect generations and to build community via a comprehensive record of the distinctive immigration footprint of Australia.
IPA’s mission is to continue to collect stories until completion of the construction of Immigration Place in Canberra. At that time, subject to the agreement of the National Archives of Australia those stories will be transferred to their website – Destination Australia.
We encourage you to record your stories or those of your ancestors.
All Stories
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I left home get away from the horror of the last war. In Europe and Holland in particular we were distressed at the way we were treated by the government after we lost our parents in the defence forces.
The journey was hell because the ship ran short of …
Frank Clemenkowff, Netherlands, 1961
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George was orphaned at a young age and with no living relations, decided to migrate to Australia.
He left England on the sailing ship called the Sultana and arrived in 1862 at Moreton Bay.
George thought Australia would be a great place to live and work…
George Bishop, Goudhurst, England, 1862
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Hermann Adolph Dohle was born in Bremen, Germany, on 22/9/1839, the 3rd child and 2nd son of Hermann & Fredericke Dorothie Louise Dohle nee Siebenmeier, his birth registered 4 days later in Bremen. Hermann and Friederike had 5 sons & 3 …
Hermann Adolph Dohle, Germany, 1861
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John was born in Ballyhale, Kilkenny, Ireland and arrived on the Conrad in Moreton Bay on 20/11/1855, with parents Robert and Ellen nee Clear and 9 brothers and sisters. Eldest brother, Robert remained in Ireland and an older sister, Bridget migrated…
John MULLINS, IRELAND, 20/11/1855
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William and his new bride Sarah Ann, nee Reynolds, applied for a Free Passage to South Australia, were accepted and left Dublin aboard the sailing ship “William Nichol” and arrived in their new country on July 7th, 1840.
William and …
William Anderson, Ireland, 1840
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Our Surname is “Flemming” and this indicates that the deeper origin of my family is from the County of Flanders which is now part of Belgium. When they first arrived in UK the name was written as Flandrensis but eventually changed to Le…
Robert Flemming/Fleming, Dromore, Tyrone, Northern Ireland, 1879
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I moved to Australia with my mother when I was six years old. The year was 1988 and we arrived right in the thick of the festive season.
Prior to moving here I hadn\’t even heard of Australia and didn\’t understand why we had to pack up and …
Dennis Hanadi, Indonesia, 1988
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John James Hempton arrived in Australia from Belfast with his parents, John Hempton Snr. and Kathleen Hempton and his younger brothers, Robert, Desmond and Arthur on a ship named the Beltana. The year was 1928 and he was 7 years old.
The family came…
John James Hempton, Ireland, 1928
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Fred, his wife Gwen and Son Alan (aged 4) left Coventry England in December 1951 to migrate to Australia to begin a new life after hearing reports of better job prospects and sunnier weather. There was still much rationing happening in England after…
Frederick Fardon, England, 1952
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Francesco Strangio
Born in Natile Vecchio Reggio Italy 10/02/1052. Francesco is the eldest son of Giovanni and Maria Strangio.
Francesco migrated to Australia with Maria on the 27/07/55; they were following Giovanni who had migrated in 1952.…
Francesco Strangio, Italy, 1955
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Henry Threadingham, a ships carpenter, was signed on for the round trip England Australia. While
having a leisurely beer on shore leave he got chatting to some fellows who were on their way to the Victorian gold fields. After hearing tales of great…
Henry Threadingham, England, 1872
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KARL BAUER Ð IMMIGRATION BRIDGE
I was living in Austria about 1 kilometre from the Hungarian border. At the time (1955/6) the Hungarian Uprising was taking place. Although we were not directly affected, it was an uncomfortable time. Also at this…
Karl Bauer, Austria, 1957
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IMMIGRATION BRIDGE Mrs. JOSEPHINE (SUSANNE) LAMBERT
Named after Napoleon Ð Josephine.
I was born in Malta. I decided to come to Australia after a visit from Mr. Holt, who was the Minister for Immigration at that stage, sixty years ago. He came to …
Josephine Lambert, Malta, 1949
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Donato Tauriello was born in Italy in a small town called San Fele which is located in the Province of Potenza (about 2 hours drive away from Naples) He was raised by his parents who farmed a small plot of land in a near by town called Ruva Del Monde. At the…
Donato Tauriello Tauriello, Italy, 1966
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Maria Rosaria changed her name to Mary when she arrived in Australia in the hope that this would help her to fit in – if only it were that easy…
In 1964 when Mary was 12 years old she left Naples, Italy with her family; her mother and five younger…
Maria Rosaria Mazzarella, Napoli, Italy, 1964
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Harold, Dorothy and Christine Dimmery left Caerau in South Wales in July 1964. Harold suffered from Asthma and the snow and cold weather were making it worse. He was born in May 1921 and after leaving school early to work to make money for his parents…
Christine Dimmery, Wales, 1964
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I was born into a working class family in the river valley under the mighty peaks of Julian Alps, just before the WWII started. I have vivid memories of those times, all coloured with depravation and above all – fear. End of war brought American…
Anka Makovec, Slovenia, 1962
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My name is Eh keh. I was born in Thailand in 10th/Nov/91. I was a refugee on the Thai/Burma border in a camp called Mae La Camp. I was in this Camp for 14 years, for a long time. I have six siblings and I\’m the fifth person in my family. Before I arrived…
Eh Keh Eh Keh Ler, Karen state 'Burma", 2009
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When I met Llewelyn he was 19 and I was 16 and he told me his ambition was to go to Australia. We fell in love and I hoped that he would forget all about wanting to go to Australia. We married, bought a house and had our first child. We lived in a small mining …
Llewelyn Jones, Wales, 1970
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I fell in love with Australia as a child when I saw the movie The Overlanders, and I applied to emigrate as soon as I was old enough.
I trained as a teacher and taught in Newcastle upon Tyne for two years. I was accepted as a “ten pound Pom” and…
Edith Ward (nee Dixon), England, Sep-59
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Very little is known about Bridgetta or Bridget. On most of her childrens’ birth certificates, her father’s name is recorded as James Mc Mahon, occupation cabinet maker. There is no information about her mother. Some of the certificates…
Bridgetta McMahon or McLaren?, Ireland, abt.1841?
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William Ruhling was born about 1838 Rhalthen?, Hanover, Germany to Peter Ruhling and Helen Gobber or Gobler? His father’s occupation is listed as a soldier. He left Hamburg, Germany on the vessel ‘Mary Ross’ and arrived into…
William and Helen Ruhling, Germany, 1861
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Reason for leaving homeland – Parents followed father’s parents who migrated to Australia in the 20s. My father was in the Royal Navy and transferred to the Royal Australian Navy in 1936.
My mother, Elizabeth Anne Gunton, and I travelled…
Gerald Gunton, England, 1936
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George Baker was born in Bridgewater, Somerset, England to John and Elizabeth Baker (nee Spurling.)
Re letter from Somerset County Council in June 1989, states a George, son of John and Elizabeth Baker of Bridgewater, mariner, was baptised on 16/09/1821.…
George Baker, England, 1850
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As a child Eric (b.1910), second son of John F and Alice Bird, was talented and difficult: he dominated his elder brother, was ‘a handful’ for his mother and, at 13, won the open chess championship during his family\’s 1923 migration…
Frederic N. Bird, England, 1923`
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I was born on the 19th June 1939 in Pratteln at the outskirts of Basel Switzerland where I spent the first 22 years of my life. After high school I served an apprenticeship as an electrical fitter at Schindler Waggon Company, they were manufacturing…
Kurt Gahler, Switzerland, 1961
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The Story of Richard Cheers, Convict and notable character from early colonial days. PART 2
‘Unto Richard Cheers, his Heirs and Assigns to have and to hold forever, 100 acres of land lying and situated in the District of North Harbour bounded…
Richard Cheers (Part2), England, 1790
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