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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Bernard Ignatius Keenan was born in 1906 in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, the fourth of eight children of Bernard and Rebecca (nee Monaghan) Keenan. His father, born in Derry (Londonderry) in 1873, had retired with the rank …
Bernard Ignatius Keenan, Northern Ireland, 1926
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Reason for leaving homeland – Land of Opportunity and Stability
I was born in Bangladesh and grew up in Dubai, Dhaka, Pennsylvania(USA) and London. I graduated with a Bachelors in Electrical and Electronics Engineering in Penn State University,…
Syed Sadat, Bangladesh, 2004
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I was born in London in 1938, just before the war. Like many children of that era I was an only child.
When my Father who was in the RAF was posted to Holme on Spaulding Moor in Yorkshire, Mother decided we would follow. She left London, our wordly possessions…
Veronica Mather (nee Foster), England, 1958
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Reason for leaving homeland – Immigrated with family who left Chile for a better opportunity here in Australia
About the Journey – We flew across the Pacific and I remember having no real concept of what we were doing. I was just a child.…
Sergio Soto, Chile, 1983
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The Soviet occupation, the overthrow of the legitimate government of the day ushered in unprecedented arrests of innocent citizens, in most cases on trumped up charges. My father was one of the victims. We lived in a small village and our family was…
Konstantin Kourteff, Bulgaria, 1957
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The aftermath of Indian Independence in 1947 took an enormous toll on the Anglo-Indian community in India. The build up to Independence was scary. There were times when Anglo-Indians had to disguise themselves and dress like the Indians and wear…
Constance Roberts, India, 1972
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Although we had done well in business in Scotland, my husband and I felt that economic conditions had deteriorated and that our children would have a better life in Australia. We sold our home and business, embarking in March 1966 on MV Fairsea sailing…
Loren Noble, Scotland, 1966
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My dad worked in the agricultural world and the farm invasions of 2000 destroyed the business that he was involved in. With the political situation out of control they left Zimbabwe to find a better place for us. I wanted to be an animator and they had…
Karl Smith, Zimbabwe, 2002
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My reason for leaving my homeland, Pakistan, was that I married a girl from Australia
My journey was full of apprehension and hope. I had never been out of my country, let alone fly in an airplane before. I knew little about Australia. I would carefully…
Zahoor Sheikh, Pakistan, 1980
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In Nov 1838 Thomas was the first of his family to immigrate from England to Australia. He was followed by his 3 brothers, William in 1842, John and Mark in 1858 and his nephew Thomas ‘Chummy Tom’ in 1874.
Thomas Southwell (the son of Samuel…
Thomas Southwell, England, 1838
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The war had ended and Germany was not in a good state. We had escaped to the west side of Berlin but our home and business had been in East Germany so there was not much keeping us there. In addition, the Russians were all around and we were concerned they…
Irmgard Kraly, Germany, 1951
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Reason for leaving homeland – Not enough overtime. Elected to emigrate looking for adventure and whatever came our way, just born to be wild!
About the Journey – Pissed all the way
Impressions on Arrival – Brisbane: Shit, it ain’t…
Graham Field, England, Nov-82
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During 1979 Elaine Hollingsworth and I decided that we no longer wished to live in the USA. (Crowds, pollution, traffic, oppressive government.)
We knew that we wanted an English-speaking country, with a warm climate and stable government. After…
Ronald Bradley, USA, 1982
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I was sponsored by the Big Brother Movement to start a new life as there was little chance of making something of myself in post war Britain.
The sea voyage took 5 weeks longer than normal due to the Suez Canal being closed as the Egyptian and British govermnets…
R Michael Griffin, United Kingdom, 1951
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Reason for leaving homeland – Economic recession in Ireland. Kevin a qualified Electrician, was unemployed with little prospect for securing a fulltime position in his field. With a wife and 2 young sons, Donnacha aged 4 and Conaill aged …
kevin keniry, ireland, 1985
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I first met my future husband in Seoul Korea at the Kimpo Airport in May 1970. He was working in the Australian Embassy in Korea and was standing in the restricted area of the airport, waiting for one of his colleagues on a flight. I was an air stewardess…
Byung-Hee Cho, Republic of Korea, 1972
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Helen Milne (nee Micallef) was born in Alexandria, Egypt on 7 April 1945 to Charles & Melita Micallef. She is the eldest of their four children.
At the age of seven months and after the Second World War ended her parents moved with her to Malta which…
Helen Milne, Malta, 1950
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I am the eldest son of Lambertus (Bert) and Adolphina (Fien) van Hamond. I was born towards the end of World War Two in January 1945. We lived in Utrecht Holland and migrated to Australia on the 20th March 1953.
I have two sisters Gerarda (Gerda)1946 …
Adrian (Adrianus) van Hamond, Netherlands, 1953
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Victor Gandey
Victor Gandey, was born in Fulham in 1926, left school in 1939 at age 13 years due to the war, and trained as a plumber, part during and part after the Second World War. He joined the Royal Navy in 1943 at the age of 17 years. First with the Fleet…
Victor Gandey, England, 1951
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Richard Matchett
Richard Matchett was born on the 12-3-1806 in Derryanville, Armagh, Ireland, the seventh son in a large family of nine sons and two daughters; the children of William Matchett and Mary Robinson.
William Matchett was a farmer. The…
Richard Matchett, Northern Ireland, Aug1856
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The journey of my life (Picture of Anna Salen with Margaret and Irmgard in archive)
I was born in Germany. I immigrated to Australia with my family, which was my step father, mother, 3 brothers, and my 5 month old baby girl. I left Germany at Bremerhaven…
Irmgard Fedulow, Germany, 1953
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One of my best friends at college migrated to Australia. In the course of our communication, she kept encouraging me to also migrate. At first, I wasn’t that interested, but later thought that this is my chance to go to another country and also…
Eleanor del Rosario, Philippines, 1975
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My father first came to Australia in 1950. His reason for migrating was possibly a mixture of adventure plus the search for a better life (or vice versa).
Six years later in 1956 after 6 years of lonely hard work and preparation, he moved the the family…
Salvatore Saitta, Italy (Sicily), 1956
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We left our homeland of Zimbabwe in 1962, our family of seven. We had already moved down from Zambia where the fall in tobacco prices in 1955 squeezed us out and left us with no choice but to abandon our farm between Lusaka and Chipata. My parents had originally…
HARRY AND ANN DAVIES, UNITED KINGDOM, 1962
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Reason for leaving homeland – left with wife & 3 children
About the Journey – traveled by sea on the Castel Felice
Impressions on Arrival – surprised that the acommodation was not what was advertised
Apart from that I thought…
william donald fowler, wales uk, 1966
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Francesco left Italy for a better life in Australia and help his family back home pay their debts. It was tough for him to leave his beloved country for a new one, but circumstances were beyond their control in those days in Italy, poverty struck and …
Francesco Pangallo, Reggio Calabria. Italy, 1937
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I was born at Catanzaro, Italy on 24th September 1934. My parents were Bruno and Rosa (De Iesi) Sinopoli. My brother was already living in Melbourne and he sponsored me to come to Australia. I sailed from Italy on the Galileo on the 18th April 1964. I …
Saverina Dall’Armi, Cantanzaro Italy, 1964
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