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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Mike was working in Plymouth Hospital as a registrar in Anaesthetics when PM Wilson froze all the National Health doctors\’ salaries. Prices were all on the rise and 6 pence had just been put on each gallon of petrol!!
As we were expecting our…
Michael & Patricia (known as Mike & Pat) Kneebone, England, Jul-69
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Reason for leaving homeland – TO START A GOOD LIFE HERE AND HAVE MY OWN FAMILY
About the Journey
THE JOURNEY WAS HARD – I DID IT BY MYSELF TO COME TO AUSTRALIA. MY FATHER SENT ME DOCUMENTS BUT I NEEDED TO HAVE A VISA FOR AUSTRALIA.
MY FATHER …
emira ziga, bosnia - herzegovina, 1994
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Part 2 of my original story and this is is an addition that I should have included
In 1965 I married Peter Trebilco and settled in Canberra at Stromlo Forestry Settlement. We had 2 children – Alison, ( who was a passenger in a fatal car accident …
Catherine Quirie ( McDougall), SCOTLAND, 1954
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Reason for leaving homeland
Worked for The Bank of Adelaide, in London. Had just finished 2 years National Service. Felt Country was in a turmoil, no one seemed to want to work and I saw little future. My mother had just become engaged ( My father having…
Andrew Love, England, 1958
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We married in 1970 and left after the birth of Clint, Lisa and Justin to seek a less racist abode on the planet. Apartheid was a heinous practice written into the law of our birthland. My family was of mixed German ancestry, my husband’s of mixed…
Clarence Johnson, South Africa, 1983
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Father was a deep sea diver and was attached to a salvage company. He spent months and sometimes years away from home. My parents had decided to go to either Australia or Canada in the hope of keeping the family near to steady work. I think my parents flipped…
Egon Skov, Denmark, 1958
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I had just turned 11 and in 4th Class at school, when my father announced that we would be going to Australia. He explained that there would be more opportunity in Australia. He had been affected by the devastation after the war and the lack of job opportunities.…
Willem Hebels, Netherlands, 1951
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Reason for leaving homeland
I had no option as our father said we were going to Australia as it meant we would have a better life and we already had relations here that sponsored us. I was 19 at the time and they would not leave me as they wouldn’t …
Ann Quirie (m. Partridge), SCOTLAND, 1954
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This is the sad story of Bartimeaus Robertshaw 1892-1915
My great-grandfather was Joseph Bartimeaus Robertshaw 1860 Ð 1895; he died in Bradford at the young age of 35 years, and leaving his wife Mary with three young children. She remarried a Mr.…
Bartimeaus Robertshaw, England, unknown
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In Slovenia, I had obtained qualifications in agriculture and worked there for a year, but I wanted to study languages. So on my 18th birthday I was able to obtain a passport; I went to London, Paris, Rome, Geneva, Barcelona for study and work. While…
Danijela Hlis, Slovenia, 1974
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My father left his homeland at 14 years of age because his uncles thought it would be good for him to come to Australia and earn some money for a short time. Unfortunately the depression then the war and then his father’s untimely death meant that…
Nicholas Ellis, Greece, 1927
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Heaven knows why we left England! Dad had a good job, we lived in a nice area and I went to a good school. Anyway, Dad came home one day and announced that we were all going to live in Australia. I recall he referred to it as “Down Under”. Down…
Brown George, England, 1965
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My father was Jewish, my mother Old Catholic. But Hitler was coming to Vienna, so we had to leave.
I will write more about that later.
We were taken from Vienna by EMI, for whom my father was manager of their Record Shop in Karntnerstrasse and taken to …
Evelyn Klopfer (AND mother and father), Austria, 1938
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Reason for leaving homeland
Love for future wife, Judy M Bennett
About the Journey
Flew on a Qantas Lockheed Electra from Johannesburg to Sydney via Mauritius, Cocos Keeling and Perth
Impressions on Arrival
Freedom from problems of apartheid…
John Oxland, South Africa, 1964
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I was born at Woodside and had 2 sisters Ann and Eva . My parents Stewart and Eva or ‘Cis’ as she was known decided to emigrate as they thought it would be a better future for the family.
We left Aberdeen and went to stay in London for a month …
Catherine Quirie, SCOTLAND, 1954
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My sister Gill was 12 and I was 10 when our parents decided to migrate. The intention was to go to a warmer country and therefore Australia was the preferred choice to Canada, we were told, as our father George had travelled widely and knew what he wanted.…
Wendy Matthews, Bristol, England, 1964
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I was born in Poland. My father was a high ranking member of the Polish Government and a captain (reserve officer) in the Polish armed forces. He joined his military unit when the World War II broke out and became a prisoner of war in October 1939 in Germany…
Tadeusz Sas-Baczynski, Poland, 26/02/49
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The Bronzi family left Rome, Italy on a special flight chartered by Qantas for Australian immigrants on the 19th January 1971, arriving in Sydney on the 21st January 1971. The family included Enzo Bronzi (32 years), his wife Maria (29 years) and their…
Enzo Bronzi, Italy, 1971
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Stella Keenan (nee Micallef) is the eldest child of Joseph and Theresa Micallef. She was born on 16 February 1944 in Alexandria, Egypt. After moving to her father Joseph\’s homeland on the Mediterranean Island of Malta she migrated to Australia…
Stella Keenan (nee Micallef), Egypt (then Malta), 1950
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Joseph and his brother Charles Micallef were Maltese-born shipwrights who went to Egypt in 1943 to work on British warships during the Second World War. While stationed there, they met two sisters, Theresa and Melita Vassallo, whom they both married…
Joseph Micallef, Malta, 1949
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Alfred Micallef was the second born child of Joseph and Theresa Micallef. He was born on 4 January 1947 in St. Julian\’s Bay, Malta.
His father, Joseph, had migrated to Australia with his brothers in 1949 and Alfred along with his mother, Theresa,…
Alfred Micallef, Malta, 1950
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Theresa Micallef (nee Vassallo), was born in Cairo, Egypt, on 18 February 1923. She was the third child born to George and Georgina Vassallo, Egyptian-born people of Maltese descent.
During the Second World War while working in Alexandria, Egypt,…
Theresa Micallef, Malta, 1950
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Reason for leaving homeland
Lack of employment oppertunities and the Berlin wall had just gone up.
About the Journey
My family Mum, Dad, three brothers and myself left Germany from Bremerhafen on New Years Eve 1960 on the Castel Felice (Sitmar Line).…
Annemarie Ritter, Germany, 26/01/53
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Isaac Sherratt who was born on the 15th June 1862 in Chellaston, Derby, England and Married Jane Elizabeth Turner, who was born on the 15th Feb 1867 in Brisbane Australia, at Stalford, England 28th February 1884.
Isaac and Jane departed from Plymouth…
Isaac Sherratt, England, 1884
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Patrick, his wife Mary, son Jeremiah and daughters Nancy & Honoria left their home in Tipperary, Ireland for Australia on board the Wanata. They probably left Ireland to escape the aftermouth of the potato famine.
The Wanata sailed from Liverpool…
Patrick Quinane, Tipperary, Ireland, 1852
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As a ski instructor/coach I wanted to work in the snow all year around and had to go south to follow my dream and I had 2 choices South America or Australia/New Zealand. Australia was my first choice, because one of my best mates was already there.
It was…
Rupert Winkler, AUSTRIA, 1990
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Why we migrated
Rose’s husband Ted and both her parents had all died within a year of each other, and the future in England did not look promising. Sometimes when you have nothing to lose, it gives you the courage to try something new, and with …
Rose Irene Everard, England, 1969
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