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
-
After WW11 Germany was a very unstable country. On his mother’s advice Louis left Gemany to migrate to Australia and a better future. He completed an apprenticeship with the German Railways then entered into a 2 year contract to be completed…
Louis Bernhard Helmut HAASE, Germany, 1952
-
Zampelis Family more than 100 years in Australia
In 1900 Gersimos Dimitrious Zampelis left his home in the village of Marantohori on the island of Lefkas (formerly known as Santa Maura) to board a vessel at Naples bound for Australia. The passenger…
Gerasimos Zampelis, Greece, 1900
-
In Nuremberg, Germany 1954, opportunities were limited. The Heinl family saw an advertising campaign about Australia needing and looking for migrant families with qualifications in a Trade, willing to immigrate to Australia. Seeing this as …
Henry and Inge Heinl, Germany, 1955
-
Donato and Giuseppina lived in a small farming village in Italy called Bomba. They led a harsh life, surviving on food they produced on their farms. Don remembers that his family were so poor that sometimes they had to boil wild grass for food.
World…
Donato and Giuseppina Vitullo, Italy, 1952, 1958
-
Vittorio Cremasco was born on 22nd June 1943 in One di Fonte, Treviso, Italy.
He was born during World War II, the fourth child of eleven and the first son. He grew up in a time when there was little food for their large family and few ways to change their…
Vittorio Cremasco, Italy, 1964
-
This was the story of love and Fortune in a land far far away……
They arrived like so many others to the surrounds of Northern Queensland to make their new life, family and to maintain the pursuit of happiness; in the unplundered land “Down…
Egnazio Grasso and Maria Strano Grasso, Sicily- Italy, c1920
-
Allison (nee Muir McArthur) Bannatyne and her husband John Burden Bannatyne, left Scotland because, according to my Mother Betty, adventure, family pressure, religious difference and to basically, start a new Family in Australia. Allison’s…
Allison nee: Muir McArthur, Bannatyne, Scotland, 1922
-
My family were looking for a new start after World War 2, there was still rationing in England in 1950 and my aunt and uncle Hilda & Jim Haywood had migrated in 1949 and were sending glowing reports of this wonderful new country. My grandfather …
Joan White, England, 1950
-
In 1848 the Australian Agricultural Company (AAC) approached the British Home Office for expertise and resources to be sent to Australia to search and drill for water in coastal areas of the colony of New South Wales.
Thomas Paten was contracted …
Thomas/Catherine Paten/Pain, England/England, 1849/185
-
Andrew (Andor) was born on 27 December 1908 in Budapest, son of Imre Fabinyi, lawyer, and his wife Margit, nŽe Nagel. Andor was educated at Minta Gymnasium and Pazmany University. After graduating, he continued his studies part time and was awarded…
ANDREW (ANDOR) FABINYI, HUNGARY, 1939
-
Reasons for migrating
I was born in Alexandria Egypt in 1943, just after El Alamien and Tobruk stopped the German advance to the Suez Canal. My father “Anthony, a Maltese national serving with the British navy and stationed in Alexandria. …
Albert Cachia, Malta, 1949
-
Hendrika Gretha (Hetty) van Brussel was born in Utrecht, some weeks before the Netherlands fell under German occupation in World War II.
The following years were of great hardship, deprivation and oppression.
Early memories include severe food…
Hendrika (Hetty) van Brussel, The Netherlands, 1978
-
13 September 1972 was the day I started high school in the UK. It was also the day my father left to come to Australia. He told my younger sister and I that he was coming for work and to visit his eldest daughter who had emigrated a few years before. It wasn’t…
Fleur Butt, Engalnd, 1977
-
Reason for leaving homeland – NO WORK FOR MY FATHER SPARTACO NIERO IN ITALY.
About the Journey – SHIP AURELIA FROM NAPLES TO MELBOURNE
Impressions on Arrival – THIS WAS THE PROMISED LAND!
SEE MY FULL STORY IN MY WEB SITE – …
Frank Ferruccio Charles Niero (and family), TRIESTE - ITALY, 1957
-
In the late 18th century wealthy Scottish landowners were forcing peasant farmers off their small plots of land in order to use the land for the increasingly lucrative practice of grazing large herds of sheep and cattle. Unlikely future prospects…
John McPherson, Scotland, 1825
-
Reason for leaving homeland – March 1959 to go to australia for a better life
About the Journey – just got married to Roseline Drinkwater – sailed from London via Suez Canal, Sri Lanka to Fremantle on SS Orion. It was a honeymoon …
Victor & Roseline Bryan, England, 1959
-
Konstantinos at the age of 46, together with his wife Anna immigrated to Australia with their children Christos aged 14, Theodosia aged 10 and Dimitrios (Jim) aged 2 years. Konstantinos made the decision to leave his homeland of Kaloneri, Kozani…
Konstantinos Tsalikis, Greece, 1958
-
Edmund and Kathleen Roshier and their four sons, Alan(17), Henry (Arnold)(16), Michael(12) and Maurice(10), sailed from Southampton England, in the ‘New Australia\’ on 19th November 1951.
Our family lived at Hillingdon, Middlesex,…
Edmund & Kathleen Roshier, England, 1951
-
ELIZABETH, immigrated to Australia in the hope of a better life for her family.
her children were;
MARTHA ELIZABETH
ALEXANDER BRUCE
MARY SARAH
ROBERT DAVID
CHARLES EBENEZER
FRANCES ELIZABETH
DAVID RICHARD
Elizabeth came to Australia with 5 of …
Elizabeth Corrie (nee Dawson), England, 1855
-
Reason for leaving homeland – Promise of a new life.
About the Journey – The family migrated to Melbourne from Liverpool. They were assisted passengers – 3 of 384 passengers on board the ship THE PERSIA of which 26 people were to…
William Baird, Scotland, 1854
-
Reason for leaving homeland – Married in 1967 and life was an adventure. Several countries wanted immigrants at that time, so we literally flipped a coin and it came up Australia!!
About the Journey – Sailed on the ‘Flavia’…
Pauline Lines, Wales, 1968
-
After World War II Yugoslavia laid claim to the then Italian territory of the Peninsula of Istria and immediately began to bear direct influence on the politics and way of life in the Istria region.
In 1950 a formal settlement was reached whereby Istria…
Giovanni (DOB 21.4.15) Elvina (DOB 8.3.20) Alida (DOB 27.3.42) Aldo (DOB 21.10.44) Claudia (DOB 9.2.50) BARNABA, VERTENEGLIO, ITALY, 1955
-
John Ennis (1762 – 1842) arrived in Sydney 18/3/1803 as a convict aboard the ship ” Glatton” which left England on 23/9/1802. Sentenced to life (commuted from Death by hanging). Tried at Chelmsford, Essex, England 22/7/1801.…
John Ennis, Essex, England, 1803
-
Frank Tulic
I, Frank Tulic, was born in born in Blato, population approximately 6,500 on an island, Korcula in former Yugoslavia now Croatia on the 1st August 1948.
The life of the people in the area was a struggle to live off the patches of land inherited…
Frank Tulic, Croatia, c1956
-
Nikola Tulic
I, Nikola Tulic was born in born in Blato, population approximately 9,000 on an island, Korcula in former Yugoslavia now Croatia on the 22nd April 1915, during a very difficult time.
My father Franko was away somewhere on the Russian …
Nikola Tulic, Croatia, c1956
-
Reason for leaving homeland – family of then girlfriend was emigrating, and I decided to go with them.
About the Journey – a long but enjoyable trip by ship , the ”Johan van Oldenbarnevelt”, on which was also the 100,000th…
Johannes de Roos, Holland, 1958
-
The Basi Family ‘Our Journey to Australia’
My Father ‘Dilbagh Singh Basi\’, Mother, ‘Kirpal Kaur Basi, 2 Sisters ‘Nina and Meena\’ and I ‘Navi\’ migrated from England to Australia …
Dilbagh Basi, England & India, 1986
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 34
- 35
- 36
- 37
- 38
- …
- 61
- Next Page »