Migrant Ships with Anita Lenkic
Anita has kindly made her talk given 7 October 2014 available for Old Treasury to publish.
Today's floor talk is titled Migrant Ships, and except for the indigenous peoples and those who
travelled to Australia by air, this has implications for us all no matter when the migrant arrived on
Australian soil. From the First Fleet, to the boat arrivals from Vietnam, and now the boat refugees
hoping to make Australia home, we have all been 'Sailing into Melbourne' or other ports of arrival.
We will be concentrating on the persons arriving more than the ships that brought them here.
Ships may have brought people here under official schemes or the migrant may have chosen to come
as a personal choice but they all had similar experiences according to the time of migration.
Before gold rush times there were some schemes in place bringing 'new chums' to Australia.
The Earl Grey scheme was one of these. Approximately 4,000 Irish female 'orphans' were brought to
places such as Sydney, Adelaide, Hobart and Port Phillip over the two years that the scheme existed.
Travel time could be 16 to 17 weeks. The girls were condemned in newspapers as being unskilled,
untrained, useless and a financial drain on Australia. The scheme was suspended in May 1850 as the
gold rush began and migrants were willing to pay their own way to this country.
Another scheme was promoted by Rev. John Dunmore Lang. This scheme was aimed at getting
as many Presbyterians as possible to emigrate to counterbalance the 'awful abundance' of Roman
Catholics. Of course this was a sign of the times in which this scheme ran.
'The Bounty Scheme' under the auspices of Edward Gibbon Wakefield was a plan to recruit
mechanics or tradesmen with good character references and they had to be baptised Christians.
From 1850 onwards Gold Rush Fever took hold and there was a radical change in migration to
Australia. The population exploded! The actual route from Britain was, leaving from home port; sailing
down past Spain with the usual stop at the Canary Islands for provisions. Then the journey continued
down the west coast of Africa to the Cape of Good Hope where another stop was mandatory in South
Africa. The long hop was to sail across the Indian Ocean with the Westerlies to mainland Australia
where one embarked after a long torturous journey.
Travelling to the Gold Rush in the Colony of Victoria was a long and dangerous thing. In calm
weather the journey could take up to 4 months, while a well run clipper ship could do that run in half
the time. By the 1850's it was possible to sail on ships that had auxiliary steam power. The Westerlies
allowed sailing ships to dominate until the end of the 1870's. Weather played a huge part in the safety
and length of time for each journey.
There were two other routes to Australia and they are one from the West Coast of America
exiting San Francisco and the Californian gold fields and the other out of Canton, China. The huge
expanse of the Pacific Ocean may have been more terrifying than the European route as the prevailing
winds were against the sail somewhat. And yet they came! The lure of gold was irresistible. Conditions
on board the ships on those routes were cramped and airless and equally as arduous as those from
other parts of the world. These were tough journeys with many difficulties as those of the European
route but at the end there was the hope of Gold!
For those people brave enough to make the journey in the 1850's, 60's and 70's there were
difficulties, snags, cons and dangers to life and limb not least of which was actually finding a reasonably
safe ship in which to sail to the ends of the earth in search of a fortune. Food on board was often salty,
hard, rancid, limited and unacceptable for children.
Passengers were divided into 3 classes – cabin, intermediate and steerage. Fees for cabin
passengers ranged from forty pounds to seventy pounds and upwards for special conditions.
Intermediate rates were about twenty five pounds for an enclosed cabin holding 4 to 6 berths.
Steerage passengers slept in open berths in the lowest deck for which they paid fifteen to eighteen
pounds. Steamers had a slightly higher charge for the three classes of passenger.
There were lists published advising the traveller about the items that they would be required
to bring for the voyage and on arrival at Port Phillip. Intermediate and steerage passengers had to
“furnish” their cabin or berth because the 'ship supplies nothing but empty space'. Items needed
included mattresses, bolsters, pillows, blankets, sheets, washbasin and jug, one or two drinking mugs,
teapot, plates and dishes, knives, forks, spoons, ship candle lamp and candles, canvas cloth, buttons,
needle and thread. These were the basics without counting clothing. All these items plus clothing were
to occupy the smallest space possible.
Tradesmen were told to take their tools and those bound for the diggings needed a pickaxe,
spade, fork, shovel, crowbar, hammers, tin pans and a cradle. Bulky furniture was not encouraged but a
portable iron bedstead was worth taking. Tents would be of value with waterproof rugs or raincoats
quite necessary in some places.
The amount of clothing advised depended on the length of the journey. The Government
Commissioners published a list of the minimum outfit required.
The 'superior' passenger was advised to take many more items associated with their lifestyle.
For women that would include all the comforts that a 'lady' needed to survive! How each passenger
stowed their goods was up to the cabin space available. Ships were not necessarily spacious and each
inch of space was put to use.
Each cabin passenger was usually allowed twenty cubic feet of luggage. Second class and
steerage passengers were considered only after the first class had been catered for. In very many ships
the overcrowding in steerage was not conducive to a happy, healthy voyage.
Life at sea was uncomfortable, dangerous to one's health and in stormy conditions dangerous
to one's life! Poor hygiene was one contributing factor. In bad weather the lower decks were often
closed with the decks being unlit and the air quickly became foul. Candles and oil lamps were
forbidden in a storm. The practice of straw mattresses in steerage was a great fire hazard. Disease
spread easily in such hothouse conditions and if the ship encountered a disaster there was very little
hope of rescue. Upper class passengers, of course, enjoyed better hygienic conditions.
The food provided on board could be sub-standard unless one had brought something from
home that may last sometime on the journey. Again upper class passengers found their food a little less
unpalatable although it was not 'fancy'.
Bedding became flea and cockroach infested to say nothing of body lice that enjoyed the
journey. Airing of bedding was possible in good weather but during storms bedding became soaked
leading to influenza and pneumonia. Epidemics often arose and the most vulnerable of the ship
population such as babies, children and older passengers became the early victims. Tuberculoses was
also in the population. Lice, mice and rats were ever present.
After the gold rushes slowed down here in the Eastern seaboard there was still a steady stream
of people willing to migrate to Australia for a variety of other reasons. The lure of a land of opportunity
with a stable lifestyle and an invigorating climate was touted abroad. Between the late 1880's and early
1890's up until the Depression years this steady, mainly British migration flow continued. It seems that
they were looking for a more prosperous life in a place that was 'Empire'. There was also the advantage
that English was the language spoken in Australia. After World War One there was a feeling in Australia
that this country needed more people “ just in case there was another war”. Australia was offering
assisted passage to Britons and on arrival the migrant could get land grants or they could take up work
in rural areas.
Aboard ship the 'class system' was still in place and this operated with first, second and third
class passengers. Privileges extended to the first class passengers on board were never extended to the
third. It would take another war to see the end of the class divide.
Two migration schemes that ran during this time were the 'Empire Scheme' and the 'Big
Brother Movement'. The Empire Scheme circa 1922 encouraged Britons to migrate to Australia to 'build
up the Empire'. It is thought that over 200,000 Britons arrived in Australia during the following decade
under this scheme. The Big Brother Movement operated from 1925 for just a few years and during it's
operation over 12,264 boys and men came to Australia. Sponsors in Australia stood as guarantors for
these migrants and undertook to look after them. A proportion of people from these two schemes
must have sailed into Melbourne. Religious orders and charity organisations also had schemes running
at this time with some success.
The ships used for migration at this time were steam ships and conditions were nowhere as
difficult as had gone before in the nineteenth century. In 1909 the passenger ship liner SS Osterly took
45 days to reach Australia. She carried 270 first class passengers with 120 in second class and 700 in
third class.
In contrast the liner SS Strathnaver in 1931 took 42 days to reach Australia with 500 first class
passengers and 608 tourist class. The strict class divide was almost a thing of the past but there were
lingering difficulties.
The next wave of migration with ships 'Sailing into Melbourne' was post World War Two.
Australia had again gone through a population draining time during a world war and the Government
of the day, led by Ben Chifley, saw a need to increase Australia's population quite quickly. Arthur
Caldwell helped to create the catch cry “Populate or Perish”. Under this program which ran from 1946
to the early 1970's the increase in the population moved ahead rapidly.
In Europe at the war's end there were thousands of displaced persons milling about with
nowhere to call home in which they could be safe. So some countries began to accept 'refugees' and
assist them to go to countries where they could make a home and flourish. Australia's preferred
migrant was a Briton. There was a concerted campaign with the slogan 'Bring out a Briton' but numbers
could not be filled quickly enough so other Europeans were accepted. Between 1945 and 1954 up to
182,000 refugees came to Australia. From 1945 to the early 1970's at least 6.5 million migrants arrived
in Australia.
The breakdown of migrant home countries shows the success of the “Bring out a Briton'
campaign. The influx of Britons was superseded circa 1957 by European migration numbers. Between
1949 and 1959 33.5% of migrants were British with other groups as follows – Italians 6.9%, New
Zealanders 6.6%, Germans 4.5%, Greeks 3.9%, Yugoslavs 3.7% and other groups such as people from
the Netherlands, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia adding to the total. This influx of people meant that
accommodation must be found for them and thus migrant camps such as Bonegilla in Victoria came
into being.
A timeline of happenings in Victoria and elsewhere gives a glimpse into interesting times in
Australian life as the migrant intake took effect.
1947 - Bonegilla migrant camp begins operation.
1948 - Treaties with Italy, Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary signed to allow migrants from these
countries.
1949 - 118,800 assisted migrants called 'New Australians' arrive to work on the Snowy Mountain
Scheme. 70% of workers on that scheme were migrants.
1950 - 153,685 migrants arrive as numbers increase.
1951 - First British assisted migrants arrive at Bonegilla with pressure to keep families together.
1955 - One millionth post war migrant arrived.
1971 - Bonegilla closed. Over 300,000 migrants passed through its gates.
All this activity meant Port Melbourne was awash with migrant activity as well as commercial
happenings.
Now we come to the scheme that has been called colloquially the 'Ten Pound Pom'. The
assisted passage scheme was not just for UK citizens but people from other Commonwealth countries
could apply also. Each adult migrant paid ten pounds to migrate to Australia with children travelling
free. Each migrant family was promised that on arrival there would be employment for the
breadwinner, housing, a more relaxed life style with a better climate. All ten pounders needed to be of
sound health and under forty five. There were no skilled restrictions but the White Australia Policy still
applied and those of mixed race met difficulties. In 1947 over 400,000 Britons registered at Australia
House in London hoping to use this scheme.
It is amazing to me that some who came to Australia under the scheme found it difficult to
settle here and about one quarter of migrants brought here returned to their home country some
years after arrival. 1969 was beginning of the slowdown in assisted migration and in 1973 costs went
up to seventy five pounds per family and a significant drop off began. The scheme was phased out by
the early 1980's. Most migrants were flying to Australia by this time.
From post-World War Two until the end of the 'Ten Pound Pom' scheme almost all migrants
that came to Victoria had sailed a well-used route leaving British ports, sailing passed Spain and
through the Mediterranean to Port Said in Egypt then into the Suez canal to the Red Sea. Water and
food provisions were taken on at Aden (Yemen) and from there the ship sailed to Ceylon (Sri Lanka).
From Ceylon the sail was across the Equator in the Indian Ocean eventually to end up in Perth. In fact it
was really Fremantle where the ships docked. Some migrants disembarked at that docking with the
rest sailing across the Great Australian Bight to Melbourne. There was another disembarkation at
Melbourne and the ship then usually sailed around to Sydney. After all migrants had been off loaded
the ship usually travelled back to the UK where it was prepared for the next run to Australia.
As many of you know I was a 'Ten Pound Pom'. We travelled up from Manchester to Glasgow
and sailed out from there in early August, 1951 using the route I have just described. We landed at
Station Pier, Port Melbourne on the 10th of September, 1951. The journey took approximately 6 weeks
because we broke down in the Indian Ocean and it took 3 days to start up again. Compare our journey
to that of SS Oriana taking 28 days to do the same sail with 638 first class and 1,496 tourist class
passengers on board.
We travelled on SS Cameronia. In 1951 she was 32 years old and had been used before World
War Two on the Glasgow to New York run. During the war she was converted into a troop ship and by
1949 underwent a one million pound refit to be used as a migrant ship operated jointly by the
Australian and British governments. Conditions on board were very different to those of migrant ships
coming to Australia 100 years before. There were cabins, called 'spacious' in a broacher, that had 2 to 6
berths. These were clean and comfortable. Each berth had a reading lamp overhead and each cabin
had a wash basin with hot and cold running water. One problem we found was that in a hot climate she
had no cooling air conditioning. The air vent circulated fresh air but when we 'Brits' found the heat very
oppressive our steward advised us to take a shirt or blouse, soak it in cold water and hang it near the
air vent so it acted as a cooling system. Up until the cooling arrangement was set up I had been
sleeping on top of the sheets wearing a 'vest' (singlet) and underpants. There were two adults and two
girls plus one 2 year old baby all almost dying from the heat in that cabin. To us it was a sweat-box.
There was no relief from the heat at night because during the day it just got hotter! The steward also
told us that the Captain did not want us to sleep on deck, as some people had done, because there was
a risk of mosquito attack with a resulting disease getting into the passenger population.
Cabin arrangements had women and children sleeping in three out of four cabins in a block
with the men (fathers) in the fourth cabin. We were on C deck which did not seem too far away form
the stairs up to the outside where we could walk around and enjoy the view. Bathing and toilet
facilities were placed at various intervals between the groups of cabins and each cabin was allocated
their use by cabin number. We had a Steward who looked after a block of cabins and we relied totally
on him for advice. Linen on our bunks was changed frequently and if anyone was ill the steward was
the first point of contact. There were doctors and nurses on board that could deal with medical
problems as they arose. For some while sea sickness was a problem with my Mother but never for me
as I was having such a good holiday I did not have the time to be ill.
The SS Cameronia usually carried 1,100 to 1,300 migrants on the Australian run which meant
there was a great deal of organisation happening that we knew nothing about. Dining, for instance,
was broken up into various sittings with children eating earlier than adults. Because we were so used to
eating a catered school lunch there was no difficulty sitting down to eat with a whole bunch of happy
children in holiday mode. Babies and toddlers were catered for with their mothers at another sitting
and of course the adults ate at another sitting also. The food was plentiful, exciting and delicious. We
had left England where things were still rationed from the war and to sit down to eat food I had never
seen before was wonderful. I saw my first banana aboard the Cameronia! Australia provided the food
on board and it was ration free! At the time I was a very fussy eater and I think my mother despaired
that I would live long enough to ever enjoy the new country to which we were being taken. I began to
learn on board that ship that there were new taste sensations in this world!
The children on the ship were kept entertained with what was called a 'Holiday Programme'.
There were things to keep us occupied yet we had free time to roam about the ship. There were some
places we were not allowed to explore such as the engine room nor the luggage hold but basically it
was freedom from adult supervision. We were prepared for landing in Australia by a series of lessons
about our destination during the children's holiday programme but the two things I remember most
were absurd. “Always keep your hands in your pockets because you are upside down on the
underneath of the world and your money will fall out of your pockets”. Also, “When you wheel a pram
along the street be careful of snakes because they will wrap around the wheels and bite you!” I can
laugh about these now and they must have been spoken in jest but at the time it was scary!
Some things I remember from the journey stand out. After sailing passed Spain, through the
Bay of Biscay which was supposed to be rough but wasn't, we entered the Mediterranean Sea passing
Gibraltar then on to Port Said. It was here that I saw the strangest sights. Most passengers were leaning
over the deck railing to watch boys diving for coins that people on board were encouraged to throw
down to them. As each coin hit the water the boys would duck dive and come up with the coin in their
hands. How they saw the coin after it hit the water I have no idea. It was here we saw traders, in what
looked to be rowing boats, selling bags, cloth, souvenirs, etc. to the people up on deck. There were
ropes with baskets attached leading up to the deck and the merchants shouting their wares below. It
anyone purchased anything one had to put the money in the basket and down it went to the seller who
put the goods in the basket and up it came to the buyer. My first experience of high power trading!
From Port Said we waited to be allowed into the Suez Canal. As we sailed down the canal we
could see the Pyramids in the distance and a camel train wandered along the bank just taking its time
to check out the ship that had to move so slowly because the canal is narrow. When we sailed into the
Red Sea it was hot and the coastline seemed to be just sand and more sand. We eventually arrived at
Aden where we were not allowed to disembark as there was a bit of political trouble there even at this
time.
More sailing brought us to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) where we were allowed to disembark for an
adventure on shore in Colombo. Mum, Dad and myself teamed up with the Whittingham family to
venture out onto land. Mr Whittingham had been a merchant seaman and knew what he was doing.
Mum and I shared the cabin with Mrs Whittingham, Betty (my age) and John the 18 months old son of
the family. Colombo was a fantasy land of sari clad women with strange aromas emanating from the
market we walked down. Because we had no pram for John his father had placed him in a large carry
holdall and he sat there while his parents carried him around. John was a flaxen hired, blue eyed happy
boy and the effect on the local women was amazing. Many of the ladies wanted to touch him and they
crowded around. One elderly gentleman assured in almost perfect English that they thought that to
touch him would bring good luck to their families. All very strange! We had been warned never to give
the beggars money no matter how hard they begged as once money was given you would be
inundated by more wanting money. It was very hard to walk passed and not feel the need to give what
we had and they didn't.
As we left Ceylon we were faced with the expanse of the Indian Ocean where we would spend
a great deal of time sweltering in the heat. At each sail all the children on board were given updates on
what was about to happen and I suppose the adults got the same message. Crossing the Equator in the
Indian Ocean was great fun. We all dressed up in funny costumes made from anything Mum could find
and then we went to the Children's Dining Hall where we saw Old Father Neptune sitting on a thrown.
Neptune was wearing greenish blue long robes and he had a spikey crown. His trident was held in one
of his hands. Each child was presented to Neptune whereupon he dipped a piece of seaweed (artificial)
into a bowl of sea water and splashed the child to show that they had crossed the Equator. The child
then moved over to an officer standing by who gave a certificate to the child. I have proof that I have
done the Equator Crossing! This event was followed by a Sea themed party where we played games
with a sea theme such as Sharks and Scaling Ladders.
Exploring the ship had been going on all the time we were on board. There were hidey holes all over
the place and a game of hide and seek could go on for hours until we tired of it. Somehow we knew
that getting in a lifeboat to hide was off limits. We had to attend lifeboat drill twice during our journey
with the first time being one day out from sailing from Glasgow. This was a bit frightening as we were
so new to the ship and the steward had to explain how to put the life jackets on and where we were to
go to assemble near our designated lifeboat. Mum panicked a bit which made me afraid also but we
followed orders and got through. The second time we had a drill was in the Indian Ocean and by this
time we were old hands and no-one panicked!
We must have been about 6 or 7 days out from coastal Australia when there was a call over the
PA for people to move out onto the port decks to see a pod of whales swimming along by the side of
the ship. They are majestic beasts and I know I saw one roll over and look us all in the eye! It was a day
or so after that we witnessed flying fish darting over the ocean with their silver fins and bodies
gleaming in the sunlight. Wonderful! The closer we got to Australia the more excited we all became as
we knew that soon our journey would end but more was to come.
As we neared Western Australia's coastline, which we still could not see, people were walking
around asking what was that funny smell in the air? It was of course eucalyptus from the gum trees. It
was a very strange smell which I have since come to love. Nearing Fremantle we were treated to a
brilliant swimming display by the local seals who must be the best swimmers in the sea! We were
allowed to get off the ship at Fremantle and wandering around the town we were reminded of the
Westerns we had seen at the cinema. The buildings were all one level, with verandahs and the width of
the street seemed very wide! Most strange to our eyes.
Sailing across the Great Australian Bight the ship was at a sloping angle that was very
noticeable. This was caused by waves coming up from the Antarctic Ocean. There was a constant
strong wind blowing and when one went on deck one had to make sure there were hand holds near
just in case. I was quite small for my age and I know my Mother warned me against going on deck
because she was afraid I would 'slid off' with the angle and the wind combined. I was very careful to
play with Betty inside until that phase was over.
The highlight of landing at Station Pier was the absolute joy of buying my first non-rationed
“sweet”, (or lolly as I soon learned to say), and this was a Jersey Toffee which cost threepence. It was
huge! I bought this enormous item at the kiosk at the end of the pier. We only had English money at
the time and the whole transaction was carried out using that money. So when I say threepence it was
an English threepence which meant that the seller was actually making a profit over and above an
Australian threepence that he charged for his goods. Welcome to Australia!
Disembarking from the Cameronia was so different to our embarkation in Glasgow. As we
sailed out of Glasgow there was a crowd at the dock to see us off. Many were waving or crying and
'Now is the Hour' was being played and sung many times over. Our arrival at Port Melbourne was quite
unheralded. We were ushered off into a large warehouse building where we had to stand behind a
large sign showing that persons with surnames M to N should stand here. We were then sorted into
groups going to various places and the Morris family was loaded onto a train at the end of Station Pier.
The train line is now the 109 tram line. We trundled in to the city and went through Spencer Street
Station to travel up to Bonegilla. The first look at Melbourne, Victoria was stunning (using the meaning
to stun into puzzlement). It was the 10th of September, 1951 and it was very hot! Or so it seemed to us.
As we moved through the station we saw the old suburban trains (the red rattlers) humming along the
rails and most of them looked as though they had their doors open. I don't know if this is so but my
mother was appalled as she thought that the passengers would fall out of the trains as they moved
along. The rail journey to Bonegilla took us through open country going up to the Murray River area.
There was nothing for miles and as we were city folk the sight of so much emptiness was daunting.
Mum kept asking “Where have we come to, Frank?” The bleakness is something we had to overcome.
Others have spoken about the arrival of migrants one hundred years before I came and they are worlds
apart in some things but not the strangeness of the country. I can fully understand why the migrants of
the 1850's found it so difficult to adjust and they had the harshness of living conditions to endure as
well.
On arrival at Bonegilla all we had was our suitcase used on the sail plus papers to identify the
Morris family. The large chest that had accompanied us from home was stored in the hold of the
Cameronia but did not accompany us to Bonegilla. I understand it was held at Port Melbourne
somewhere and I did not see it until we were settled in the Ballarat Migrant Camp some weeks later.
The reason we were sent to Ballarat is my Father was a bricklayer and along with other families we
were sent to help build St John of God Hospital in Ballarat. Of course there were other things
happening in Ballarat at the time as Australia was in rebuilding mode after the Second World War. The
large chest had appeared in my front room months before and I remember my mother using a list of
recommended items to make sure we had the correct things to bring to Australia. Compared to the
listed items for the 1850's migrant ours was a lot shorter than theirs. We knew we would be able to
replace many items when we came to Australia whereas the earlier migrants were coming to a place
where home items were at a premium.
At Christmas, 1950, I had been given a bicycle and I had learned to ride up and down the back
'entry' behind our house. So there was no way we were going to leave such a precious item behind.
Dad took the bike apart, wrapped it in blankets and placed it in the bottom of the chest. Most of the
other things that were placed in the chest were clothing items and things my Mother would not leave
behind. As we did not know which part of Australia we would find ourselves in, the packed clothing
was varied but light as Australia was always hot or so we believed. Then, of course, we ended up in
Ballarat where it is not always hot. Luckily for me my Mother was a dressmaker and the packed sewing
machine was set to work as soon as we were settled in the Ballarat Camp. “If you are going to take me
to the ends of the Earth, Frank, I am not leaving this!” and she was right.
During the packing phase it still had not dawned on me that we were going 'forever' as I
thought we were going for a holiday and that was all. It became more serious when I came home from
school one day and my bed had gone! Mum and Dad sold everything they could, gave the dogs to
friends and said long lasting goodbyes to the rest of my family. If I had known how long it would be
before I ever returned, the wrench of leaving my beloved 'Granny' would have been devastating. My
parents never got the chance to return to Manchester and I know that my Mother, especially, suffered
from homesickness for some years. These feelings of displacement and the longing for home are
common to all migrants where ever they had come from or whatever time in history they had migrated
either willingly or not.
When comparing the journey of the 1850's migrant to that of the 1951 migrant it is light years
away in comfort and dangers of the sail; the conditions in which the migrant made the journey; the
happenings that greeted them on arrival and the ease of assimilation granted to the twentieth century
migrant. Yet some things remain the same in the bravery and daring that migrants faced as they looked
forward to a new beginning. The risks that were taken in leaving all that was known to move into the
unknown show courage. The 'culture shock' that was encountered as the new life took shape had to be
overcome. The fight to be 'better off' in the new land had to stand against the homesickness that often
struck when least expected. Some never completed the jumps over these hurdles and the naming of
places in Victoria is a reflection of the migrants need to acknowledge 'home'.
When looking at the experiences of those who took their old life into their hands, gave it a
shake and sailed into Melbourne one can only admire their determination to endure all the hardships
of life on board ship with all its dangers, in the earlier times, to the strangeness, perils, joy and freedom
of the new land. What one made of the new land was up to each migrant with its many successes and
some failures. Personally I am very grateful that our family did make the journey to a 'better life' and all
of us here will have ancestors who risked the journey to make that 'better life' in such a great place.
The journey was all but the arrival was satisfyingly wonderful!