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
-
Catherine McSherry nee Hickey was born in Limerick, Ireland. Her parents were John and Mary Hickey, who married in Limerick on 22Aug 1816. She had two brothers, James and Michael and a sister, Ellen.
She came to Australia in 1855 as an assisted immigrant,…
Catherine McSherry, Ireland, 1855
-
I left England in 1999 searching for a new beginning and adventure.
I travelled via plane through South East Asia to Australia. I had a magical journey through South East Asia experiencing different cultures and meeting new friends along the way.…
Christopher Carman, England, 1999
-
This is the story of the migration to Australia of Trevor Albert Charles Barrow (b. 25-1-1935) and Rosalind Anne Barrow (nee Young, b. 16- 5-1942) and their three children, Mark (b.30-10-63 in Pune), Linda (b.26-8-66 in Pune) and Fay (b.11-11-68…
Rosalind Barrow, India, 1969
-
John Fairfax was born in 1805, the son of William and Elizabeth Fairfax of Warwick, England. At the age of 12 John was apprenticed to a bookseller and printer at Warwick, and when he was 20 went to London where he worked as a compositor in a general printing…
JOHN FAIRFAX, ENGLAND, 1838
-
We left England because a job opportunity arose in a country to which we wanted to migrate with our two young children. We had spent our single lives in a village called Croxley Green, near Watford in Hertfordshire and after we were married we moved …
Valerie Lillington, England, 1962
-
My name is Eliana Castaings. I come from Chile. I was born in 1966. After I finished my high school I got married because I had a baby with my husband (Tirso Castaings). Because our country had a lot of problems with the government and the economy was not…
Eliana Castaings, Chile, 1986
-
My name is Enes Ali. I\’m from East Turkistan. I came to Australia to study. When I came to Australia I didn\’t have any English.
I learned about Australia accepting refugees. Because my country is not independent and my family were living…
Enes Ali, East Turkistan, 2005
-
My name is Zynab Aalyooi. I’m from Iraq. I was born in 1974 in South Iraq. I finished my studies in 1994 in Dental Hygiene in Baghdad. I worked on sewing bridal dresses for two years.
In 1996 I got engaged to my neighour who had left Iraq in 1990 because…
Zynab Aalyooi, Iraq, 1997
-
After my separation I decided to migrated to this ‘paradise’
I left Bogota, Colombia on 1.1.1986 to Paris where I lived with my sister and family until I had my interview at the Australian Consulate and was given our Residents’…
Jacqueline and son’s VELASQUEZ, COLOMBIA, 26.8.1986
-
Post War England was hard, food being rationed, and my father considered that Australia was advertised as being the land of opportunity so he packed up our family against my mother’s wishes (3 children Sylvia, Martin and Susan), paid his own…
Vera & Lawrence Cotsford, England, 1950
-
Born at Reading, Berkshire, England in 1765. With his first wife Jane Ezzy (ne Floid), born 1770, and with baby daughter Luisa born Southwalk, London in 1792, arrived in Sydney on the “Royal Admiral” on 07 October 1792.
The “royal…
William Ezzy (Convict), England, 1792
-
Charles Newton
Born in Ditton, Cambridge, England in 1823.
Came to Australia with his wife Johanna Newton (Holmes) and 3 boys – Henry aged 7, Charles 4 and William 1.
They arrived in Sydney on the “Rose-of-Sharon” on 14 April 1855.…
Charles Newton, England, 1855
-
Part 11
On 7.01.50, the men were taken away for work. Everyone had to sign a contract for 2 years to work wherever they were sent. Dad and others were sent to Singleton Army Camp to repair the Matilda tanks. His basic wage was 7 pounds a week and full keep.…
Evelin Hegyesi (Part 11), Germany, 1949
-
Reason for leaving homeland – better life opportunities
About the Journey – five weeks by boat
Impressions on Arrival – Arrived in Sunshine Victoria – an industrial suburb, and purchased house for arrival of wife Doris…
alfred hope, england, 1950
-
Zvonko (William) HRLEC was born near Zagreb, Croatia on 25 April 1931. His parents died when he was a young teenager and his elder brothers put him into a home and from there he was educated to become a diesel mechanic. Communism was rife and like many…
Zvonko (William) HRLEC, Croatia, 1957
-
Olavi Ensio Saarikko was born in Padasjoki, Finland on 8.10.1926. After returning home from the army, he met Elsa Vappu Anna Korte (b.9.3.1930 in Kaukola, Finland.) on 29.7.1949 while she was nursing at a psychiatric hospital in NyystšlŠ, near…
Olavi Saarikko, Finland, 1969
-
6 PIONEERING YOUNG MEN LEFT THE VILLAGE OF JIEH IN LEBANON TO COME TO AUSTRALIA TO MAKE THEIR FORTUNE IN ORDER TO SUPPORT THEIR PARENTS AND SIBLINGS BACK HOME AND RETURN WEALTHY HEROES. HOWEVER , ALL FELL IN LOVE WITH THIS COUNTRY, FINDING A NEW LIFE,…
CHAFIC KAZZI, LEBANON, 1950
-
My reason for living my homeland was because I met my wife-to-be, Karen Pearce, in Singapore – we met whe she was there on holidays. I was working with Jetset Tours in Singapore as a tour cordinator. Karen was a tourist passing through Singapore.…
ANDREW ZACCHEUS, SINGAPORE, 1982
-
Rolf was 26 years young and wanted to experience life and work in another country. He had a choice between Brazil and Australia. He choose Australia because it sounded so far away.
It was actually 54 hours away, flying with Yugoslavian Airlines (the…
Rolf Luthi, Switzerland, 1981
-
I was born in Calcutta in 1938. My name is Sankar Kumar Chatterjee – son of Radharaman and Pankajbala Chatterjee.
On September 3, 1964 I got up about 5am in the morning to catch a plane from Dum Dum Airport in Calcutta. I remember my nephew Deb Kumar…
Sankar Kumar Chatterjee, India, 1964
-
On a grey winter day in Warsaw we took an antique globe & dreamed. The Soviet Union was breaking down & our historical experience spoke of a possible war. We wanted to move as far away as possible. We had a map of New Zealand & the romance…
Wojciech Zbik, Poland, 2.2.1992
-
We left our home in Bahia Blanca, Argentina because it was getting progressively more difficult to live there with a British surname and Mum (Edith Lia) and Dad (Edward Herbert) felt that we would have a better future in Australia.
We flew out of Gatwick…
Edward Herbert Holmes-Brown & Family, Argentina, 1965
-
Part 1
My Parents Anton and Theresa Hegyesi met in Bavaria just after WW2 ended. My father was a Hungarian refugee, my mother Austrian/German. They married on 11.11.45. I (Evelin) was born on 11.01.47. Both my parents believed there would be a better…
Evelin Hegyesi (Part 1), Germany, 1949
-
Arthur Clapp was born in Cornwall England in 1801. He was sent out to Australia for Cockfighting is what has been handed down the line. True or not nobody can verify for sure. What I do have is he came out on the Gilmore in March 20-1829. Left London arriving…
Arthur Clapp, Cornwall England.UK., 1829
-
I am the great great great great grandson of David Ricardo, the English founder of ‘political economy’. He seems to have used up most of the family success genes. After graduating from Reading University in England in agricultural …
Christopher Ricardo, England, 1946
-
As a member of the Canadian Forces living in Ottawa, Patrick became aware of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) lateral recruit program and applied to join the RAAF. With military cutbacks in the Air Force in Canada, Patrick saw this as an opportunity…
Patrick & Helene Del Guidice, Canada, 1996
-
I left the UK with my parents Doreen and Arthur Richard (Dick) Pelling and my brother Steven Richard Pelling in 1960 to start a new life in Australia.
We made the crossing from the UK to Australia on the P & O ship the Fairsky. I do not remember much…
Jennifer Colley, UK, 1960
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 42
- 43
- 44
- 45
- 46
- …
- 61
- Next Page »