Tell your story through your special mementos
One out of every five people in the Illawarra are born overseas. Many arrived in the decades immediately after World War II when the Australian Government actively pursued an immigration policy of ‘populate or perish’.
Sadly, as the post-World War II migrant generation age, too often we don’t know what their memorabilia items mean or what stories they tell. Frequently this history is lost. Belongings helps to save some of this history.
Whilst documenting family or community oral histories, the story behind the belongings either brought on their journey to Wollongong or used, purchased or made when first living in Wollongong forms an integral part of a complete story. This also means that through Belongings:
- mementos will be passed down within families with their stories and meanings understood;
- historians will know which memorabilia items are important and why; and
- curators can request a loan from the private owner for museum exhibition displays.
Belongings should be kept and cared for by the family member.
The Migration Heritage Project partnered with the NSW Migration Heritage Centre on their Belongings website exhibition. The NSW Migration Heritage Centre is no longer in existence and its website has been archived and is no longer updated. The archived Belongings exhibition can still be viewed at: NSW Migration Heritage Centre Belongings Exhibition