During my teenage years I dreamed about coming to Tasmania to study zoology. I planned for many years, and finally on Valentines Day 2006 boarded the 747 and arrived in Tasmania a day later. When I moved into my share house at the University of Tasmania…

Kaseen Cook nee Unwin, United States of America, 2006

Emily Perry (nee Sandford)

Emily Sandford was born at Dunmow Essex 29 November 1891. Her father, William was a farm labourer at the nearby Gilbey Estate near Elsenham and Emily grew up in a small thatched farm cottage at Mole Hill with her father, mother…

Emily Perry (nee Sandford), England, c1911

Edward Murray lived and worked as a weaver in a village called Garthfinn, County Tyrone. During 1823 Ned, as he was known, decided to borrow a horse and for this he was given a life transportation sentence to the colony of New South Wales.

Along with …

Edward Murray, Ireland, 1824

Gilbert left England with his wife Elsie and five children – Patricia, Christine, Margaret, David and Martin after securing a job with the BHP company in Port Kembla. Utmost in his mind was to provide a better life for his family.

The family …

Gilbert Alfred Eldridge, England, 1964

I needed a new start in a country that recognised my skills and contribution. The political situation in my country was now becoming very uncertain and I felt that the future of my children would now be compromised.

It was a journey into the unknown …

Francis Nyatsanga, Zimbabwe, 2006

Giuseppina Staltari was born in Delianova Reggio Calabria in 1909. Guiseppina and her family suffered periods of despair and poverty through World War 1 and again World War 2 which would be the catalyst for her family to seek a better life in Australia.…

Giuseppina Staltari, Italy, 1950

Life was getting too predictable, too cocooned, too comfortable and stifling in Malaysia. I needed the freedom to learn more about life independently from the clutches of teachers, parents, pastors, friends and the country’s leaders. …

John Chin, Malaysia, 1981

Family of Philip Burgoine and Rhoda Kellam

Life Before Australia

1800 Philip Burgoine was born in Waltham-on-the-Wolds, Leicestershire, England, the son of Joseph Burgoine, a farmer, who died 6 March 1858 age 88, and his wife Mary, who died 18 December…

Philip Burgoine, England, 1864

Family of Thomas Sharp Cunnington and Ann Burgoine

Life Before Australia

18 July 1842 Thomas Sharp Cunnington was born at Thorpe Arnold, Leicestershire, England to parents William Cunnington (b.1800) and Catherine Sharp (b.1815) who were married…

Thomas Cunnington, England, 1864

Reason for leaving homeland – 1956 Hugarian revolution

My family escaped under dangerous circumstances. I was 3 and drugged to sleep while we crossed the border. We left the country with no belongings but a teddy for me and a few photos that …

ildiko Unica, Hungary, 1957

Pietro Garrone was born in Italy in 1890, spending his early years in Rivalta Bormida. In 1897 he migrated to Australia with his mother Maria, two sisters and a younger brother to join his father Antonio. Antonio had left two years before to try his …

J. Peter Garoni (Garrone), Italy, 1897

Basil Sellers, AM, distinguished businessman and philanthropist has made his career by rejuvenating ailing companies. He has been Chief Executive and major shareholder of companies such as the Linter Group Ltd, the largest textiler in Australia.…

Basil Sellers, India, 1948

It was nine years after the end of WW II and many of our compatriots from Muggia (Trieste) had been migrating to other countries to find either a better life or with the intention to work for a few years in the new land, make their fortunes and then return…

Bruno Just, Italy, 1954

I was born in 1966 in the Royal Victoria hospital on the Falls road to Joseph Surgenor & Kathleen Surgenor to a family of 6 in total.

My father was a Protestant and my mother Catholic after being burnt out of our home in a protestant area of Belfast…

Brian Surgenor, N / Ireland, 1990

Joseph and Margaret Fenech were married on the 21st of January, 1944 living in Gharghur then moving to Mosta with 10 children.

As time went by they decided to leave Malta to come to Australia for a better life. On the 27th of November, 1965 they had boarded…

Joseph and Margaret Fenech, Malta, 1965

Dad was always an adventurer. Intelligent, creative and bold he loved travel. He gladly took his family on the amazing adventure immigrating to Australia. With his beloved wife June and six children – Sheila, Susan, Sally, twins Robert and…

Peter John and June Elsie Cooper, Great Britain, August 196

I left Bangladesh with my beautiful wife Jesmin Jobaida Khanam and lovely daughter Mahpara Binte Shabeer for higher studies. My intention was to complete PhD and pursue an academic career. It was a long journey. I completed my Masters first and enrolled…

Shabeer Eklim, Bangladesh, 2002

Reason for leaving homeland

Italy after the Second World War was a devastated Country with a grim future and a little hope for young people to get a job. I had a nursing certificate. Emigration was open to come to Australia….and I took the plunge!…

Bianca Giudici, Italy, 1956

**Reason for Leaving**

For generations Hungary was the home of the Szilagyi family. The decision to leave Hungary therefore was not an easy one. The early to middle 20 Century however was a hard time to live in Hungary. The conclusion of World War II…

John and Margaret Szilagyi, Hungary, 1969

Riemke Christie (nee Steegstra), was born in Marrum, Friesland, a small province in northern Netherlands, in 1949, and is the eldest daughter of Watze and Jantje Steegstra.

At two years of age, Riemke accompanied her mother and father when they …

Riemke CHRISTIE, Netherlands, 1952

Watze and Jantje Steegstra (nee Van Dijk), were born in the rural area of a province in northern Netherland called Friesland not too far from each other.

Watze was born near Marrum on the 25th of June 1924 into a farming family. Watze left school at an…

Watze & Jantje STEEGSTRA, Netherlands, 1952

Lorenzo Giutronich was born on 26 February 1862, in the town of Sutivan on the island of Brac, which is off the coast of Croatia in the Adriatic Sea. His family was engaged in the wine industry but he was also an apprentice sailor.

At that time, Croatia…

Lorenzo Giutronich, Croatia, 1883

There was no real reason for my leaving England, except I had always wanted to travel. On seeing an advertisement for boys to join the ‘Big Brother Movement’, I decided to investigate and found out that workers were wanted for farm properties…

Donald Creagh, England, 12/30/1947

I was born and raised in a small village below the base of Mt Etna in Sicily, Italy.

I had 2 brothers and 1 sister and we were raised by very loving & hardworking parents. My mother passed away when I was a young boy at 17. I reached a higher level of education…

Giuseppe Raiti, Italy, 1952

Jane Meredith was born in 1800 at Tooting , London. She was described as a spinster of Stoke Dammerel in the indictment at her trial at Exeter Castle in March 1815. This was for stealing 42 pounds in bank notes from her employer. She was sentenced to death…

Jane Meredith, England, 1816

Guerrino sailed from Genoa Italy in June 1912 and disembarked Melb. Aug 1912 as an unassisted immigrant to Victoria. from the German Ship “Gneisenau” (passenger list had incorrectly listed him as BATTERIE, however, ages and first…

Guerrino BALTIERI, Badia, Verona, ITALY, 1912

I remember as a young boy standing with my parents and brothers,at the edge of the betonweg (Rijkstraatweg) in the very early hours of a cold and frosty January morning waiting for a bus that would take us south to the port of Rotterdam. My parents had…

Jan & Christina Lont, Netherlands, 1953