I was the 2nd of 7 children. My mother had remarried when I was 10 years old. We lived in Vienna in a 4×4 metre flat and my Stepfather was abusive towards me, the only girl. When I was 17 years old my family migrated to Holland excluding my older Brother…

Anneliese Leschnik, Austria, 1961

In 2001, I came to Australia from Kazakhstan to study as an international student. I am one of those first people who came to Oz since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Initially I did not plan to stay in Australia for an extended period of time. However,…

Alina Balfanbayeva, Kazakhstan, 2001

The History of the Heydler Family in Australia

Let me introduce myself: I am Rita Heydler and together with my husband Dietmar and 13 month old son Andreas, embarked on the journey to Australia leaving Germany on the 1st of May 1964.

My husband and I …

Rita & Dietmar Heydler, Germany, 1964

‘My Story\’ as told by Mr Valentin Halinkovic

In 1968, Russia invaded Czechoslovakia. The second day, after the Russian army had arrived in the city of Bratislava, many of the city\’s residents gathered in the streets to protest…

Valentin Halinkovic, Czechoslovakia, 1968

My name is Eva Anna Tagliati. I was born Eva Anna Reich on the 14th January, 1938 in Klein Krebs, West Prussia. My mother was Elli Johanna Reich, and my father was Eduard Lorenz.

We were evacuated into Germany at the end of the war in January, 1945, and …

Eva Anna Reich, Germany, 1950

My name is Lando Tagliati, I was born in Codigoro Province of Ferrara, Italy on the 6th August, 1928, my father was Isidoro Tagliati, and my mother was Augusta Tagliati (nee Gregi) they were both born in 1888.

I decided to come to Australia for a better…

Lando Tagliati, Italy, 1952

My husband, Jaroslav Anthony Peter Novy, Czechoslovakia, and I, Cecilia Laetitia Martha Wickart, met at a student ball at Zurich University. We decided to get married, which made me Czechoslovakian, and move to Geneva after a brief engagement,…

Cecilia Novy-Wickart, Switzerland, 1950

Reason for leaving homeland – We left holland because there apeared to be no future for myself and my 2 brothers unless we had more than university education.

About the Journey – We left holland on a migrant ship the “SIBAJAK”.…

john hoenen, holland, 5/3/1954

A child was born in 1941 by the name of Dominic Aristidou in Italy where the mother was deceased we think during childbirth or not long after. Dominic was therefore either put in an orphanage or taken up by adoption.

When Dominic was 18 years old he sent…

Dominic Aristidou, Italy, unsure

I am Ingrid Maria Karin Martinow (nee Jacobi), born in Poserna near Weissenfels, Germany, on 28th July 1921.

After early childhood in Poland, I grew up in Berlin. Having finished high school, I completed the compulsory Pflichtjahr labour service…

Ingrid Martinow, Germany, 1948

Petar Calic arrived in Australia on the 25th April, 1950, aged 24; on board the Hellenic Prince.

Originally from the village of Susnjari on the outskirts of Derventa in Bosnia, he was the second youngest child in a family of six children. His two older…

Petar Calic, Bosnia, 1950

Reason for leaving homeland – The death of our mother at the tender age of 43, meant that both my brother and I were left under the care of an elderly grandmother. My mother’s sisters, Palma and Giuseppina had migrated to Australia earlier…

Antoinette Jones, Italy, 1965

1. Reasons for leaving the homeland

Marie-Antoinette was born on March 13th, 1943 in Giza, Egypt. Her father, Vassily, a consulting engineer in setting up power and radar stations, was born in Hamburg, Germany to a Greek merchant navy captain from…

Marie-Antoinette Lygeros, Egypt, 1993

Reason for leaving homeland – As far as we know in search of gold.

Not sure about the journey but Alexander Duncan a Blacksmith together with his Father also Alexander a Sailor travelled to the Goldfields of Kalgoorlie struck it rich and on returning…

Alexander Duncan, Scotland, 1852

Angelo Traini was born in the small farming village of Poggio di Bretta in the province of Ascoli Piceno, Marche, Italy on 18th August 1935, the ninth and youngest child of Caterina Gagliardi and Giovanni Traini. He was named Angelo after his paternal…

Angelo Traini, Italy, 1956

Norman A. Collier born 16th June 1895, was the youngest of five children born to Henry Collier and Esther E. Guy. Norman’s childhood was varied with both the good and not so good experiences. Norman had the attributes of a very strong minded …

Norman Albert Collier, England, 9/21/2014

Originally of British origin, grandfather John Woods settled in Kenya after the First World War. I was born in Zambia where my parents worked at the time but Kenya was always home. I left Kenya to live and study in Germany, then England and France. After…

Carey Eaton, Kenya, 1998

Reason for leaving homeland – Limited employment opportunities, children’s future, political chaos, graft and corruption and other maladies that render the Philippines’ hopelessness for a bright future have made me decide…

Josephine Nisperos, Philippines, 2008

My father was a motor engineer with Rootes/Chrysler in Coventry and was made redundant in late 1970. We had been thinking of migrating for a couple of years and this forced the issue, largely I think because my parents felt there was little future in…

Ian Mackay, England, 1971

Australia has given me an opportunity to transform from individual to a personality. I was a neglected doctor in my own country when Australia provided me an opportunity to…..life.

My arrival was uneventful..I landed at Sydney Airport, …

Pratishrut Awasthy, India, 2007

This story is about the ‘Daamen\’ family. Miena (Mum), Coos (Dad), Ann, John, Mary, Chris, Henk, Cor & Thea. We came from a farming background in southern Holland. After the war it was not good in Holland. Mum & Dad lost everything.…

Miena and Coos Daamen, The Netherlands (Holland), 1954

Born in San Nicola, a village nestled in Calabria\’s mountains, Rosa was almost nine when in 1936 she arrived with her mother Carmela Piscioneri Manno and brother Peter to live in Redlynch. Her father Vincenzo Manno had left Italy when Rosa…

Rosa Dichiera (Maiden name Manno), Italy, 1936

My parents were children during WWII and I feel they wanted to escape Europe and the farm/country life for new opportunities and a beautiful climate. My father was a cabinet maker/builder so we were accepted immediately and within 2 weeks we (my parents…

Helena Tuohino, Sweden/Finland, 1958

We fell in love in London, 2 physiotherapists; one from Australia, the other one from the Netherlands. After a year together travelling and working in Europe, I wanted to see where this Aussie surfer came from. His brother worked for Qantas and therefore…

Ellen de Jong, Netherlands, 1995

When my parents told us of their intention to migrate to Australia they gave the reasons for their decision as- (a) the perceived threat of instability in Europe due to Russia’s aggression toward Hungary and (b) The isolation and political…

Hans-Peter Wanzenboeck, Austria, 1957

I was five in 1968 when my parents informed me that our family was to migrate to Australia and they asked my sister, Lynn, and I whether we would prefer to fly or sail from Romford, Essex to our new home in Australia. We were both excited about flying, so…

Anne Roberts, England, 1968

Giovanna Catania Sieminski\’s mother, Orazia Sivillica, died in Mineo, Sicily when Giovanna was 5 years old. Her father Pietro Catania remarried but Giovanna and her brother Frank were brought up by her widowed grandmother Rosa Melone …

Giovanna Sieminski, Italy (via Argentina), 1964