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Post World War II Immigration in Photographs
Image: Digital Photograph - Man Embarking Ship to Immigrate to Australia from Macedonia, 1964
Source: Museum Victoria
In the years after World War II, immigration changed the face of Victoria. In a drive to increase national security and post-war economic development, nearly three million immigrants arrived in Australia between 1945 and 1970, of whom almost a third disembarked in Melbourne. Amongst them were over 200,000 refugees. They came from countries as diverse as Italy, Greece and Latvia, although almost every second immigrant still came from Britain. Australia's immigration program became the second largest in the world, relative to its population (the largest being Israel).
The 1958 Migration Act finally removed references to race, opening the door to non-discriminatory immigration policy. However, non-European immigration to Australia remained limited until the passage of the Racial Discrimination Act in 1975.
At a time when inexpensive cameras were affordable to most, photographs provide an important record of these changing times: immigrants arriving in Melbourne, staying in migrant hostels, building their first home, celebrating family weddings and birthdays, children playing in the streets and family holidays by the beach. New suburbs are seen growing from bare fields, and old suburbs take on new appearances. Collectively, such photographs mark out the construction of life in a new country: new social networks, new places to live, key moments, and ways that ideals are fulfilled or challenged.
Items per page: 10 50 (showing 1 - 17) 17 items
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Digital Photograph - Girl Sitting on Bonnet of Toy Car, Boy in Driver's Seat, Glenroy, 196 ...
Black and white photograph showing Michele Dominiewski and her friend Wally Gilinski with a peddle car, in Glenroy, 1960. Michele remembers: 'All the children in the street played tog ...
From: Glenroy, Australia Images: 2 -
Digital Photograph - Mother, Father & Baby, Midway Migrant Hostel, Maribyrnong, 1974
Colour photograph showing Alicia, Eduardo and Pablo Diaz in the Midway Migrant Hostel Maribyrnong, 1974. This was only a few months after they had emigrated from Chile to escape the pol ...
From: Maribyrnong, Australia Images: 1 -
Digital Photograph - Boy, Man & Two Girls Playing 'Ring a Rosies', Lounge Room, Alphington ...
Colour photograph showing Pablo and Pamela Diaz, and Maureen and Alberto Poncell playing 'ring a ring a rosies' at the Poncell's house in Alphington. This photograph was taken for Maure ...
From: Alphington, Australia Images: 1 -
Digital Photograph - Woman & Man Smoking Hams, Backyard, Newport, 1968
Black and white photograph showing Ukraine migrant Ivan Kucan and his neighbour Mrs Malynko (first name unknown) in her Newport backyard smoking hams in 1968. According to the family, ...
From: Newport, Australia Images: 3 -
Digital Photograph - Four Men Helping Each Other Build a House, Newport, 1951
Black and white photograph showing Ivan Kucan and friends in work gear, building a house in Newport, 1951. According to the family, in 1949 the Kucan family migrated to Australia as d ...
From: Newport, Australia Images: 3 -
Digital Photograph - Man, Woman & Two Girls, Backyard, Ukrainian Christmas Day, Newport, c ...
Black and white photograph showing Anna and Ivan Kucan and their daughters, Larysa and Marika, in the backyard of their family home in about 1957 on Ukrainian Christmas day, which is tr ...
From: Newport, Australia Images: 3 -
Digital Photograph - Man, Woman & Two Girls Outside Home, Newport, 1953
Black and white photograph showing the Kucan family in front of their house, Newport, 1953. According to the Kucan family, in 1949 the Kucans migrated to Australia as displaced person ...
From: Newport, Australia Images: 2 -
Digital Photograph - Men Eating at Mess Hall, Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Cen ...
Black and white photograph showing men in the Mess Hall at Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre, 1950. This photograph documents the Kucan family history. In 1949 the Kucan ...
From: Bonegilla, Australia Images: 1 -
Digital Photograph - Ivan Kucan & Friends Sitting in Passenger Shelter at Flinders Street ...
Black and white photograph showing Ivan Kucan and friends in a passenger shelter on the platform at Flinders Street, Melbourne, 1951. According to Ivan's family, in 1949 the Kucan fam ...
From: Melbourne, Australia Images: 2 -
Digital Photograph - Four Men on Princes Bridge, Flinders Street Station in Background, Me ...
Black and white photograph showing Ivan Kucan and friends on Princes Bridge, Melbourne, with Flinders Street Station in background, 1951. According to Ivan's family, in 1949 the Kucan ...
From: Melbourne, Australia Images: 3 -
Digital Photograph - Six Men Eating Ice cream at Bonegilla Migrant Reception Centre, Boneg ...
Black and white photograph showing Ivan Kucan and friends eating ice cream at Bonegilla Migrant Reception Centre, 1950. The men are probably resting during a work project. According to ...
From: Bonegilla, Australia Images: 1 -
Digital Photograph - Two Men Help Each Other Build a House, Newport, 1951
Black and white photograph showing Ivan Kucan and an unknown friend, working to build a house, Newport, 1951. According to Ivan Kucan's family, in 1949 the Kucan family migrated to Au ...
From: Newport, Australia Images: 2 -
Digital Photograph - Two Men & Tomato Plants, Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Cen ...
Black and white photograph showing Ivan Kucan and a friend with their tomato plants, at Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre, 1950. According to Ivan Kucan's family, in 19 ...
From: Bonegilla, Australia Images: 1 -
Digital Photograph - Two Boys in Front of Nissen Hut, Nunawading Migrant Hostel, 1958-1959
Black and white photograph showing Michael Clarke and an unknown friend at the Nunawading Migrant Hostel, 1958-1959. Michael and his family came out from Nuneaton, Warwickshire Englan ...
From: Nunawading, Australia Images: 2 -
Digital Photograph - Mother, Boy & Girl Sitting on Public Seat, Middle Park, 1949
Black and white photograph showing Doris Atkinson sitting with her children Joan and Geoffrey on a park bench in Middle Park, 1949. The Atkinson family had only just arrived as migran ...
From: Middle Park, Australia Images: 1 -
Digital Photograph - View of the White Star Liner MV 'Georgic' & Passengers, Station Pier, ...
Black and white photograph showing a view of MV 'Georgic', the ship the Atkinson family arrived on as British migrants to Australia. According to the family it was 'the first all-Briti ...
From: Port Melbourne, Australia Images: 1 -
Digital Photograph - Man Embarking Ship to Immigrate to Australia from Macedonia, 1964
Black and white photograph showing Todorce Spasevski walking off a gang-plank from a ship to a pier in Macedonia, 1964. According to the family, he was getting ready to embark the ship ...
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