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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Charles Blackmore was born in Exeter England. In 1845 when a 25 year old trade farm labourer he was tried in Devon, Exeter for house breaking & transported for 10 years to Australia via the Marion 2 arriving in Van Diemen\’s Land Sept 1845.…
Charles Blackmore, England, 1845
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MERCY BAMBURY
Great Grandmother Mercy was born to William and Joan Bambury (nee Salisbury) in 1840 at Norton-sub-Hamdon, near Salisbury, Somerset, England. William was a stonemason and Joan was a glove maker. In 1851 Census Joan and her three children…
Mercy Bambury, England, 1862
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John Holden was born in 1805/6 in Blackburne, Lancashire England the 2nd son of Moses Holden & Ellen Hall. Little appears to be know of John’s earlier days. He may or may not have been the John Holding who deserted from the 17th Regiment …
John Holden, England, 1842
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John Lamont was born in Aberdeen Scotland in 1825 the 2nd child and eldest son of 7 children of James Lamont a Shepherd and Ann Grant who were married on 26 May 1822 in Durris, Kincardine, Scotland. Over 27 years James & Ann had 12 children who were…
John Lamont, Scotland, 1852
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Robert Longmore the son of farmer William & Mary was born around 1791 in the village of Billy approx 2 miles from Bushmills Co. Antrim Northern Ireland. In 1823, probably in the Presbyterian Church near Ballylough where they both lived he married…
Robert Longmore, N. Ireland, 1844
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From Co. Clare, Ireland Patrick Dillon came to Australia in the late 1830s or early 40s, firstly to NSW for 13 years then Victoria. It is not known whether he was an immigrant or a convict, but in 1850 he married Catherine Coventry McKenzie a 24 year old…
Patrick Dillon, Ireland, c.1830/40
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William John Black was born in 1836 in Bushmills, Co. Antrim Northern Ireland. After arriving in Australia on 2 July 1852 aboard the “London” in 1856 he married 17 year old Ann Longmore at Barabool Hills near Geelong. Ann was also born…
William John Black, Ireland, 1852
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Michael Henry Humphry was born in London c.1815 & was later referred to by his grandchildren as a “London Jew” When he was 28 he married 22 yr old Maria Ann Hann in London on 20 Dec 1843. Maria was born in Westminster 4 Mar 1821; her father…
Michael Humphry, England, 1854
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John Charles Lowrie was born in St. Vigeons a tiny hamlet just outside Arbroath Forfayshire Scotland around 1833, the son of John/Charles Laurie a Shepherd (later Guardsman) & Charlotte Grant. In the1851 John was a 17 yrs old carpenter. St.…
John Lowrie, Scotland, 1855
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William Scott was born 6th September 1841 as Soren Thygesen in Skien, Norway. He was the 3rd child of Head Clerk Soren Thygesen & his wife Idunna Urania Bottger. The Thygesen family & related branches can be traced back to 1730 around the…
William (Soren) Scott (Thygesen), Norway, 1874
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William Duke was born in Cork, Ireland in 1815 to Charles & Mary Duke, & worked as a carpenter like his father. In 1840 at Rathcooney, Glanmire he married Lucy Duke, daughter of James & Mary Duke, & within a year they embarked for…
William Duke, Ireland, 1840
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MY GRANDFATHER NIKOLAI OZOL WAS THE CHIEF INSPECTOR FOR ALL RUSSIAN RAILWAYS AND TRAVELLED AROUND RUSSIA IN HIS OWN RAILWAY CARRIAGE. AFTER THE REVOLUTION, HIS POSITION CHANGED. MY FATHER AND HIS PARENTS LIVED IN HARBIN, MANCHURIA WHICH WAS THEN…
VALERI OZOL, RUSSIA, 1927
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In England when we were both nurses, in Southampton, Bruce, my charge nurse and I were sitting in the New Forest when I asked him what his dreams were. He replied that he wanted to come to Australia, and if he could find anybody silly enough to go with him,…
Brenda Jones-Evans, England, and 1953
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JOHN CAMPBELL was a native of Greenock, Scotland. His birth date is not known.
He married MARY JANE SAVAGE in Port Glasgow, Scotland in 1854. Mary was born in Belfast, Ireland in 1835.
John accompanied by his son, EDWARD, and a group of skilled workmen…
John Campbell, Scotland, 1872
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WILLIAM CONRAD WALLIS was born in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, in 1824 and was a stone mason. He married JANE JORDAN (born 1825) on 19th January, 1851 at Stoke Demerel, Devon, U.K. They soon after migrated to New Zealand, leaving to join the gold…
William Conrad Wallis, United Kingdom, 1852
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It took six long years before we said “yes” to the invitation of my sister in law to migrate to Australia. It was because we considered Philippines as our “comfort zone” even though it is only a thirld world country compared…
Nova Aida Raboy, Manila, Philippines, 13.05.2005
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Joseph George Ellis was born on April 8 1850 in Monks Coppenhall, Cheshire, England. He was the son of John Ellis and Mary Simcock and was the first of 6 children born to this couple. He was brought up in the trade of Fitter. In 1870 he joined the Royal Navy…
Joseph George Ellis, England, 1873
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NATHANIEL VINCENT CONNOLLY.
Landholder/Magistrate
1828-1894
Nathaniel Vincent Connolly was born at Mallow, County Cork, Ireland in 1828. At the age of two, he arrived in the colony of New South Wales with his father, also called Nathaniel, his…
Nathaniel Connolly, Ireland, 1830
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I, Robert Edward David, was born on the 20th May 1937, in Madras, (Chennai,) in a suburb called Perambur, (etymology, heavy forest;) where my grandparents, parents, (Lionel and Winifred,) and relatives owned extensive property for nearly a hundred…
Robert David, India, 1967
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Reason for leaving homeland
Divorce and search for a better life. My parents were divorcing and my father decided to stay in the Philippines (I do not see him again until 1990, ten years later) whilst my mother Belen bravely immigrated as a solo parent…
Rommel Lenon, Philippines, 1980
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Living in an orphange from 8 months old till 13 years was enough reason to leave Scotland when given the opprtunity. After getting permission from my Genetic Mother who did visit me monthly at the home.
We sailed with 4 other orphan boys and a Nursing…
Robert Galt, Scotland, 1961
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I was born in Vienna in 1937, my father was a baker and he and my mother owned a bakery in a Viennese suburb, which had been in the family for generations. I have a sister who is four years younger and we were part of a large extended family Ð our life was comfortable…
Heinz Stepanek, Austria, 1958
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My father unwittingly was accused of instigating tribalism which led to threats to burn our house and kill us. My parents were from the Seychelles Islands and being non-African and British Subjects we reluctantly had to leave a country we dearly …
Tony Faure, Kenya, 1965
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John Panam came to Australia as a seaman on the Ship Sea King and while the Ship was in port at Sydney he deserted. He was described as being an Islander and of dark complexion and a reward of three pounds was offered for his return. John, however, escaped…
John Panam, Ionian Islands, c1855
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I met my future Australian husband, Graham Sharp, an electrical engineer with Snowy Mountains Engineering Coporation (SMEC) in Thailand in 1981. SMEC was the principal consultant commissioned by Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand…
Prasan Sharp, Thailand, 5/10/1986
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My mother had wanted our family to start a new life in Australia in the early seventies, just as her sister had done already. My aunty, uncle and cousins were enjoying their new life and would write letters of their new found homeland.
Sadly this would…
mark stuart kharas, england, 11/11/2003
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We left England for Australia because we saw little future in the UK for our children. We were part of a family farm of 400 acres, supporting parents, elder brother and his family and us. Rosemary grew up in Sheffield, an industrial town in Yorkshire.…
Frank & Rosemary Williamson, England, 1980
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