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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Hans Lorraine (originally Lowenstein) was born in Osnabruck, Germany, but due to the persecution of Jews under the Nazi regime, he was forced to flee in 1937. Hans was 13 years old and on his own, the rest of his family remained behind. At this stage …
Hans John Lorraine, Germany, 1940
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In October 1966 Peter and I had been married for 2 years and our first child, Oliver, was 3 months old.
My sister, Marion, had migrated to Australia in 1957, had become an Australian Citizen and was living in Australia with her German born husband, Peter,…
Dagmar Mellmann, Germany, 1968
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Reason for leaving homeland – To make a better life for his wife and 3 sons, Juan, Luis & Conrado.
Arrived in Sydney and then went ot Innisfail to cut sugar cane and then earnt enough money to bring his family out from Spain. Then he bought …
Pedro Marturia, Sydney, 1924
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When I lost my beautiful mother, it acted as a catalist for a big family life change. My family left a comfortable life in the suburbs of an English City to move to Bright , a rural town in North East Victoria.
The journey from concept to arrival in Melbourne…
Fiona Hurst, England, 2005
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My great great grandfather, John Dore was born in the village of Barton Stacey, Hampshire, England in 1810. He worked as a ploughman and was one of many rural workers from southern England known as Machine Breakers. He was sentenced to death at Winchester…
John Dore, England, 1832
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Father (Paul) was working away in Germany, managing to see family only few times a year while mother (Maria), Michael and his brother Vladimir were left behind in Yugoslavia. Also Yugoslavia was suffering from economic stagnation as well, being…
Michael Veres, Yugoslavia, 1969
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I decided to move to Australia by occasionally in five year ago. At that time, I travelled in Europe for several months and I was aware of the people lived here have quite different life compared with these one lived in China. They have more choice to …
Jennifer Liang, China, 20080528
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My Father and Mother wanted to make a new start in a new homeland, as they met during World War II, my father a POW, fought for the Italian Redenta, captured by the British Army and sent to Mhow India where he volunteer to be part of the Indian Army where …
Luigi Guiseppe and Ena Clare MOLTEDO, Italy and India, c1951
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We loved our native country New Zealand and still do after more than 30 years in Australia. However, in 1975, the generosity of the Labour Government in Canberra saw us take up the offer of post-graduate University study.
We came to Australia by plane…
Andrew and Carolyn Thornley, New Zealand, 1976
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Reason for leaving homeland – Left Orvieto during the war, went to Rome for work, married Laurentiu Alduca, had 3 children Bucura 1949, Iliana 1951, Laurentiu Jnr 1956.
About the Journey – same as Laurentiu Alduca
Impressions on Arrival…
Geltrude (Franca) Alduca, Italy, 10/19/2014
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Reason for leaving homeland – need to leave because of the war, went to live in Rome, Italy
About the Journey – Left Naples on the ship Lloyd Triestino, Achille Lauro
Impressions on Arrival – arrived in Bonegilla migrant camp at…
Laurentiu Alduca, Romania, 10/19/2014
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My father Leo & mother Hertha were forced to leave their home & all their family due to extreme hardship after the war. Food was scarce & family conflicts made life very difficult. My father was sent to some of the worst battles of World…
Monika Duell, Germany, 1953
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James Read was born and raised in the parish of Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, England. He was fortunate to have attended the Baptist Chapel and day school and eventually became a Lay Preacher. He also assisted his father in the fields and became…
James Read, England, 1844
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August Aldur Mattsson was born in Bjorsby, in the municipality of Jomala on Aland Island. Aland is a small Island of 26,000 people located in the Baltic Sea half way between Sweden and Finland. Although Aland is a province of Finland the people of Aland…
August Mattsson, Aland, Finland, 1922
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William Edwards sailed from Plymouth on the 4th June 1856 aboard the ‘Aliquis’, a 1247 ton, 3 mast ship, built 1854 in Quebec. The ship arrived at Port Adelaide in the charge of Captain Pain on the 26th August, 1856 after a voyage of 83 days.…
William Edwards, England, 1856
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In December 1962 we were living in Brockville Ontario Canada. Dad was at work, he was a Provincial Policeman. Mum, Michael & I were at home when the oil heater in the basment of the house blew up. The house burnt to the ground and we lost everything.…
Charles & Joan Barrie, Canada, Jun-63
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My parents Charles and Marion McVey were raised in “the gorbals” – a slum area of Glasgow, Scotland. They migrated to Australia with my sister Anne-Marie aged 4 and myself aged 15 months with the hope of giving us a better life. …
Cathleen McVey, Scotland, 1950
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Abraham James Carr was born in England in 1828, the son of William and Sarah Carr.
At the age of 20 he arrived in Australia on 26 September 1849, an assisted migrant on a ship called “Kate”. His religion was C of E and he had been a farm labourer…
Abraham James Carr, England, 1849
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Carl Frederick Winkler and Frederica Gabert (b.c1831) arrived in Australia as a married couple on 9 November 1858. They were both born in Wurtemburg, Germany and married there in 1857. Their first child Caroline was born ‘at sea’ in…
Carl Frederick Winkler, Germany, 1858
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Patrick Casey was my paternal great great great grandfather born in 1798 in County Roscommon, Ireland.
Patrick was Catholic and a Tailor by trade.
In March 1818 he was Tried in County Roscommon for the crime of “administering unlawful oaths”…
Patrick Casey, Ireland, 1818
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My Mother and Father and I left Holland post WW2 seeking a better future for ourselves. The original plan was that the extended family emigrate to Tasmania (My Grandmother, Grandfather and their 13 children). However, this was not to be, due to one…
Edith Vandendool, Netherlands, 1953
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My Father came to Australia in 1989 in search for better education and lifestyle. With borrowed money he arrived to Australia in 1989. During that year the massacre of Tianmen suqare occured, and fortunately for him, Bob Hawke granted all Chinese…
Jason Lu, China, 1992
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Matthew Coen, son of Matthew had fallen on hard times after his marriage to Hannah Poplete and the births of his first three children. His fourth child was born at the Workhouse, St Martin\’s in the Fields, London and at this time the Church of…
Matthew Coen, England, 1853
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Edward Tooth was born on the 1st March, 1879 in Limpsfield, England. He was a stonemason as were all the known generations before him who began their working lives as journeymen bricklayers. He married Millicent Clara Peat in 1900 at St Martin\’s…
Edward Tooth, England, 1923
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The Ireland we left in 1975 was a fractured and dangerous place. There was political unrest and violence was rife not just in Northern Ireland but also in the South. It didn’t seem like the best place to live, work and raise a family as we hoped …
Stephen & Claire Byrne, Ireland, 1975
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I had made the decision to immigrate, because of my younger sister Helen who migrated to Melbourne, Australia in 1978. Her husband had a family restaurant in Ferntree Gully, Melbourne.
In December 1978, she invited the whole family to Melbourne …
marina lew, Hong Kong, 1980
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In 2003, I came to Australia as a tourist, I travelled to Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra and thought Australia was a beautiful and nice country. I also hoped that my daughter could have a good English education, which could expand her opportunities…
maggie Li, China, 2006
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