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, Guiseppina (Josie) Esperino, was born in 1938 in San Vito il Tagliamento, a town of some 15,000 inhabitants situated in Northern Italy in the province of Pordenome some 100 kilometres from Venice, the fourth of five children born to my mother …
Guiseppina (Josie) Pasut, Italy, 1957
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Richard CHEERS (aka CHEAR) was born in Abingdon, Berkshire, England 12 Aug 1759, the sixth of eight children. He & his elder brother John had clashed with authorities on a violent suspicion of having, on 22 October 1787, lead away from Hampstead…
Richard CHEERS (Part 1), England, 1790
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Henry Weldon’s birth is recorded in the Registry of Births and Marriages of His Majesty’s 44th. Regt. of Foot at Cawnpore, India. Henry was born 28th October 1828 in Ghazeepore, East India. His parents are registered as Alexander and…
Henry Weldon, India, pre 1853
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James Bennett’s parents were Thomas Bennett and Sarah Ricketts (Rickards?). His birthplace was Clewer Field, Windsor, England. James married Elizabeth Curtis born about 1819, whose parents were James Curtis and Hannah Clements 11th …
James Bennett, England, 1837
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Thomas parents were James Bennett and Sarah Jordan. Thomas married Sarah Ricketts (Rickards?) 18/11/1805 in Windsor, England, daughter of George and Sarah Ricketts. Sarah was born 17/07/1787 in Berkshire England. Their children, all born in…
Thomas Bennett, England, 1837
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Henry and Peter Rossler arrived in Australia in November 1948 aboard the “Derna” after a 10 week eventful passage from Marseille, France.
They were born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, and were the only members of their family to survive…
Henry and Peter Rossler, Czechoslovakia, 1948
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Maria Baird was born about 1850 in Newtonbarry, (now Bunclody) County Carlow, Ireland.
Her parents were Alexander Baird and Susan Jenkins or Jenkinson.
It is not known why Maria decided to come to Queensland. She may have decided to when her brother…
Maria Baird, Ireland, 1876
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George Rush was born in Thame, Oxford, England 10th Oct. 1838 to David and Ruth Rush (nee Loosley). From 1844 onwards, the David Rush family were listed in the Thame Workhouse minutes for relief. In the 1851 census, they lived in Ludeson, Thame, Oxford,…
George Rush, England, 1864
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I was born in Inverness-shire Scotland in 1935. My father was a sawmiller, consequently we moved around the country a lot and I attended several schools. I have a younger sister and brother and we all had a very happy childhood, growing up in some of …
Lorna Buik (nee Taylor), Scotland, 1957
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David Rayner was born on 28/02/1833 in Hardwick, Buckinghamshire to Jessie Rayner and Elizabeth Pain. He married Martha Rae who was born in 1836 in Weedon, Buckinghamshire to John Rae and Rachel Prior. The marriage took place in Weedon, Buckinghamshire…
David Rayner, England, 1856
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I was the first born child of Sammy and Helen Chetcuti. I was born in Bkara Malta & was educated at the brothers St John Della Salle Collage Gzira. I played the trumpet with the Duke of Connaughts Own Band [ ta lahgma]. I worked in the NAAFI & …
Jimmy Chetcuti, Malta, 1954
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Robert was born 25/08/1833 to John and Martha Brown in the Parish of Tartaraghan, Co., Armagh, Northern Ireland. Robert’s wife Mary Jane Haughey was born in Down, Northern Ireland 18/03/1832
They married in the Parish Church in the Parish…
Robert Brown, Ireland, 1855
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Joseph Law was born on 2.3.1841 at Church Lane, Mitcham, Surrey, England. His father, Michael, worked as a calico printer and his mother, Julia, died the following year.
At the age of eight Joseph emigrated to South Australia with his father, stepmother,…
Joseph Law, England, 1849
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William Hutchinson married Harriet Palmer in Manchester Cathedral, England, on 18.2.1833. They lived in Green Lane, Ardwick, a suburb of Manchester. William was a carpenter and joiner so he may have worked in some association with his father-in-law,…
William Hutchinson, England, 1839
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Alexander Smith grew up at 72 Main Street, Newmilns, Scotland, where his parents George and Ann Smith, had a grocery shop. When young he worked as a handloom weaver and later became a weaver’s agent or “wee cork” as they were commonly…
Alexander Smith, Scotland, 1854
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It is not known why Armand left France, or anything about his journey, but Armand arrived in Sydney in 1898. He moved to Melbourne and the first knowledge we have on him was in Brisbane in 1900 where he worked for the Governor of Queensland Lord Lamaington…
Armand Galland, France (Bligny-Sur-Ouche), 1898
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It is not known why this family emigrated to the colony of Queensland. Over time they lived in different parishes in Berwickshire, Scotland. On 6th July 1883 George and Margaret and children, Euphemia, John, William, James, Peter, George, Robert…
George and Margaret Stenhouse, Scotland, 1883
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Why migrate from beautiful ENGLAND? In Bristol, suffering from the bitterly cold winter of 1962/63, snow and ice grinding life to a near standstill, we needed warmth. Migration to Australia was particularly appealing.
Born into a much travelled…
Peter Stockwell, England, 4/30/1963
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Enid Lucy Edwards, nee Bird. Born 15/12 /1915, Died 8/02/1952
‘If you do not give of yourself, you give nothing.’
My mother passed this pearl of wisdom on to me, little more than a year before her life was so tragically ended by Hodgkins…
Enid Bird, England, 1923
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My husband and I were Scots living in London, newly married in 1989, when we decided to see a bit of the world and go and work overseas. My husband Michael secured a job in Melbourne with a large accounting firm, and we decided to move there for 2 years.…
Linda Davidson, Scotland, 1990
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William (Christian Friedrick William) and Katharine came to Australia in 1857 from Esslingen, Wurtemburg, Germany, in search of a new and exciting life. The young married couple made their way to the north-east of Victoria because family from …
William and Katharine Grossman, Germany, 1857
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The Lammerts van Bueren Family\’s Migration History.
In 1961, with further unrest in Germany and having lived through the terrible Second World War in the Netherlands, Willem and Johanna (Bill and Ann) decided to move their young family …
Ann & Bill Lammerts van Bueren, The Netherlands, 1961
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Emigrated as as assisted passenger (3rd class) on the steamer “ORMONDE”, arriving 11th October 1922. Disembarked at Melbourne, occupation listed as labourer and single.
Charles Frederick Jacob known as “FRED” was…
Charles Jacob, Wales, 1922
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In 1861, 20 year-old William Loudon had daring dreams for himself and his 18 year-old sweetheart, Janet Gordon. He wanted to be a land owner, something he knew could never be achieved on the family land in Ayrshire, Scotland. Both he and his father …
William Loudon, Scotland, 1861
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Romeo CECCATO
Place of Origin ITALY
Year of arrival 1965
MY STORY
When I was 20 years of age I became a “Religious Refugee”. After five years of primary school I had seven years of classical studies in the Franciscan College with the intent…
Romeo Ceccato, Italy, 1965
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I was born into a poor family, living on the border of Thailand and Burma. Originally my parents were from Burma. My parents have eleven children so it was difficult for them to feed their children. At that time, my father was a teacher but he didn\’t…
Me Thai Mar Shew, Burma, 2009
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My name is Eh. I come from Thailand. I was born in Thailand, but I am not Thai. I am one of the Karen people. When I lived in Thailand the Thai soldiers treated the Karen people badly because they think we are animals in the zoo. We had to stay in the camp all…
Eh PoDan, Thailand, 2007
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