Your Own Family Migrant History
The only way to truly learn of your migrant family member’s journey is to speak to them, but unfortunately sometimes that opportunity is missed. But all is not lost and there are other avenues of inquiry you can follow.
If you are unable to ask your family members questions sometimes family photographs or old letters could provide some personal information to help with, or direct, your research. Searching archival sources could also provide important information and a list of those archival sources is provided from the Useful Links page on this website or from the Useful Links button.
A general knowledge of post World War 2 history surrounding world events, Australian and local history is useful and may help direct your research. The MHP has conducted research on Illawarra’s post World War 2 migrant history and this information is available on this MHP website.
“Searching Migrant Records – A Case Study” demonstrates how having some knowledge of post World War 2 history led to knowing what archival sources needed to be accessed.
Please Note: The MHP does not hold any archival migration material or records. Nor does the MHP hold any records or lists of individual migrants that stayed at Commonwealth migrant hostels in the Illawarra, namely Unanderra, Balgownie (Fairy Meadow) and Berkeley Migrant Hostels or the employer operated hostels such as MWSDB, AIS Karingal or AIS Steelhaven.
Advice from the National Archives of Australia (NAA) is that while they hold the records created by Bonegilla Migrant Reception Centre in Victoria on individual migrants that stayed there, the NAA does not have lists of residents who lived at Commonwealth migrant hostels that were operating in the Illawarra Region. Moreover, nearly all of the records from NSW Commonwealth migrant hostels on individual migrants who resided at them have not survived.
Searching, locating and obtaining records does not happen with one click of the mouse button. It will take searching multiple online archival sources before you may find your relative’s records. Sometimes you may be unable to find records as not all records have survived, been digitised or have been released to the public or made available online. Accessing records overseas is far more complex as it varies from country to country and therefore not included here.
Every Story Count is a book published by the MHP to help you record your migrant history and provides migration themes and sample questions to help you get started. More information about Every Story Counts can be found at Resources or via the Resources Link.
Although the MHP is not a genealogy group, the MHP encourages everyone to research and record their family migration story. You are invited to share your migration story on the MHP website. For further information please follow the link to Share Your Story.
For Communities
Before you start your project determine your approach and your collection policy. That is, what are you going to collect? Then survey what is currently held to ensure that you are not duplicating what has already been collected.
Always start with the elderly first and always catalogue photographs, objects etc with names and dates and other useful information because it is always harder to go back and get the information. Examples of forms to record information on photographs and descriptions of objects are also available in Resources.
Whether these items are to be donated or to be copied should be left up to the individual. Custodians of this information must be prepared to preserve it. Custodians have a moral obligation to protect images being abused by stereotypes, so access must be controlled. Forms therefore must be prepared for authorisation of use, copyright and access. Names and addresses of donors should not be revealed as this would allow people to go directly to the donors and the risk of misrepresenting the donors is very real. If you are an organisation, it should be essentially a community-based one to give your collection credibility and it should serve the community and schools on immigration and socialisation. Try to have a collaborative agreement with main stream repositories such as libraries or museums where copies can be deposited.
These comments are drawn from personal experiences by organisations and individuals who are collecting and documenting migrant history. A list of useful websites and publications, including MHP’s “Every Story Counts Recording Migrant Heritage” is available from the MHP website on the Resources page.