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
-
Moses Hibbs, a young carpenter and Ann, his wife of three years boarded the “Agra” in
Southampton and sailed for Australia arriving in Geelong in May 1854. Their son was born in
Melbourne five months later. So the story goes, Moses went…
Sarah Jane Nicholls, England, 1865
-
Moses Hibbs, a young carpenter and Ann, his wife of three years boarded the “Agra” in
Southampton and sailed for Australia arriving in Geelong in May 1854. Their son was born in
Melbourne five months later. So the story goes, Moses went…
Moses Hibbs, England, 1854
-
Henry Bowman (Senior), born circa 7822, and his wife, Mary (nee Bousefield), decided
to go to Australia accompanied by their eight children aged from 2 years to 17 years (a
ninth child was born in 1866 in Australia).
Mary’s childless, widowed…
Henry and Mary Bowman, England, 1864
-
Henry Knight, born circa 1828 in Bampton, Devon, England, and his wife, Charity (nee
Hodge), born circa 1832 also in Bampton, Devon, were married in 1856 in Washford,
Devon.
They left Plymouth on 27th March 1857, aboard “Tudor” and …
Henry and Charity Knight, England, 1857
-
These are a few anecdotes of my maternal great, great grandfathers, Jeremiah Sullivan,
Henry Knight and Moses Hibbs, and my paternal great grandfathers Henry Bowman and
Samuel Charles Roe.
Jeremiah Sullivan, born 1822 in Ballylewig, Ireland,…
Jeremiah and Mary Sullivan, Ireland, 1854
-
My father, who sadly passed away in 2005, always talked of travelling and my memories of growing up were filled with potential moves overseas. I was fortunate to come to Australia in my penultimate year of university (1986) and work at the iron ore …
Alan Sim, Scotland, 1991
-
Reasons for leaving homeland: Post War England had limited work opportunities; Dad was a fireman on steam locomotives and Diesel was taking over; warmer climate; seeking a better life after the ravages of war; ten pound pom scheme was an attractive…
Gerald Barty, England, 1950
-
The Van Der Westhuizen story begins in ‘Deo Volente’ meaning ‘God willing’, Kaiser Avenue, Crawford, Cape Town, Republic of South Africa.
We lived in Cape Town. From the age of 19 Edward worked for the Cape Electricity…
Esme Van Der Westhuizen, South Africa, 1972
-
The Van Der Westhuizen story begins in ‘Deo Volente’ meaning ‘God willing’, Kaiser Avenue, Crawford, Cape Town, Republic of South Africa.
We lived in Cape Town. From the age of 19 Edward worked for the Cape Electricity…
Edward Van Der Westhuizen, South Africa, 1972
-
William Henry Kendall Mitchell, was born in Stithians, Cornwall around 1830, and ran away to sea as a lad to avoid a tailoring apprenticeship he hated. Ironically he became a sailmaker on his ship, believed to be the Tulloch Castle and inadvertently…
William Mitchell, Cornwall, c1860
-
Welcome to Australia Ð 1951 Style
Orient Lines ‘Otranto’ sailed to Woolloomooloo
Disgorged her British migrants and lost most of her crew
The date was first of January nineteen fifty-one
When we landed in Australia beneath the midday…
Avril Brotherton, England, 1951
-
I, Eileen McWhirter-Holmes, born on the 27 June, 1946, eldest daughter of James McGeoch McWhirter, (Mechanical Engineer) of “Pinewood”, Leswalt, Scotland. One of six children, I was born at Glenhead Quarry Cottage, Leswalt. My …
Eileen McWhirter-Holmes, Scotland, 1966
-
My name is Harold and I was born on 12/11/1911 in Edgebaston, Birmingham, the second child and son of May and Alfred Garner. At the time of our migration to Australia my family consisted of Mother (34) Dad (36), Ron (16) Harold (12), Ivy (9), Dennis (7)…
Harold Garner, England, 1925
-
Panggo sailed from Koepang to Australia on MV Gorgan, arriving in Fremantle on 25/2/1941 aged 32. From there he travelled to Broome where he worked as a pearling indent for SM Male Pearling Masters.
In 1942 during WWII Panggo was evacuated to Sydney…
Panggo Baba, Alor, Indonesia, 1941
-
Born and raised in Bilbao, Spain, Alvaro was a university student who exchanged letters with his Australian friend Chentelle Denning during the 1990’s. Chentelle and Alvaro first met in 1996. Chentelle travelled to Europe on a three month…
Alvaro Lozano Rodriguez, Spain, 2004
-
Nunzio Caruso arrived in Fremantle, Western Australia in 1951. He saw it as an escape to a better life than could be provided in the small town of Sinagra in the Sicilian hillside, west of Messina. He left behind a wife Maria, and three children, Vincenzo,…
Nunzio and Maria Caruso, Italy, 1951 and 1
-
The Mather\’s were a family of lowland Scots being either farmers or mechanics. Robert was born in Lauder because his father Andrew had moved south to become a blacksmith and farrier. Robert was not content with prospects on the Scottish border…
Robert Mather, England, 10/9/1822
-
Ann Benson was born on 29 June 1786 and raised in London. She is described as ‘a delicate and refined woman, and of attainments in those days most unusual for a woman\’ because she was educated with her brothers, by her father, the Rev. …
Ann Benson, England, 10/9/1822
-
Evelyn Julia Powell was born on the 18th August 1904 in Mandalay, Burma to Ethel (nee McCulloch) and Henry Burgess Powell. She came to Australia with her family in 1913. Prior to moving to Australia the family lived in a number of towns including Mandalay…
Evelyn Mather, India, 19/09/13
-
Alan was born on 7th May 1912. He was the second youngest of eight children to William and Elizabeth Stewart who lived in St. Helens Gardens, North Kensington, London. Alan was only four when his father died of a work-related accident at age 48. Some…
Alan Stewart, England, 12/23/2014
-
Mr Guido (George) Romano
Guido Romano commonly known by everyone as ‘George’ arrived in Australia on the 29th December 1927 on the SS Orama. He disembarked in Brisbane and travelled to Bemerside near Ingham, where his brothers and …
Guido Romano, Italy, 1927
-
To a relatively young Romanian couple, who had found themselves in Germany immediately before and during World War 2, the post war situation, – then with two children – must have stimulated a desire to seek a new life in a better part of…
Peter & Garry Skurka, Germany, 1949
-
ROSETTA (ROSE) LEES (married name, GAYLARD)
BORN 21-10-1899 at Bushbury (near Wolverhampton, England).
DIED 21-2-1992 at Bendigo, Central Victoria, Australia
Around 1912 Rose’s father, Arthur Lees, travelled from England to Australia…
Rosetta Lees (married name GAYLARD), England, 1913
-
HENRY JUBILEE GAYLARD
BORN 14-3-1887 at Stoke-Sub-Hamdon, Somerset, England.
DIED 4-12-1974 at Manangatang, northern Mallee, Victoria, Australia.
Henry (known as Harry) left school at an early age (approx 12), and began working in the quarries…
Henry Gaylard, England, c1909
-
One of the six children born to James Henry and his wife Jane (nee Cousins), Sarah was born on November 4th 1830 in County Armagh Northern Ireland. It is doubtful if she or any of the children had any formal education. Attracted by positive news of life…
Sarah Brownbill, Northen Ireland, 1842
-
I was born Daniel Charles Hardy in Tottenham, North London on the 1st June 1922. My father was a self-employed ex soldier of WW1. We were reasonably comfortable ven with he hard times during the great strike of 1926 and the depression of the 1930s.
Aged…
Daniel Hardy, England, 1947
-
Because of the great upheaval caused by the events of WW2, my mum and dad, Geertje and Roelf de Boer along with their four children, Roelof 9/8/1939, Anna 13/2/1943, Max 9/10/1947 and Roelf Jnr 29/7/1951 decided to migrate to Australia in order to …
Roelf and Geertje de Boer, Netherlands, Jun-52
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- …
- 61
- Next Page »