The exhibition features letters to loved ones back home, music recorded by migrants, vintage advertising for boat voyages to Australia, and amazing stories like that of William ‘Billy’ Blue, an African American transported to Sydney in 1801 for stealing raw sugar and later appointed by Governor Lachlan Macquarie as harbour watchman and constable.
Highlights include:
- a convict’s uniform from Van Diemen’s Land in the 1830s
- photos and ephemera from the Snowy Hydro-electric Scheme that employed 60,000 migrants from more than 30 countries
- archival photos of multicultural cafes and chefs that brought the taste of home to migrants in various Australian cities.
Visitors will also have access to a curated book-nook in the exhibition gallery, containing biographies, journals and recipe books.
It is a favourite pastime for Australians to compare their backgrounds and celebrate their connection to a country or continent far away. ‘Most, if not all of us, have a migration story in the family,’ said Dr Guy Hansen, Director of Exhibitions at the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Library. ‘The most recent census, conducted in 2021, tells us that more than half of Australians have at least one parent born overseas or were, themselves, born overseas.’
‘To understand history, we need to interrogate the evidence that has survived from the past. The photographs, letters, books, posters and pamphlets in this exhibition are a reminder of these powerful histories. These stories are an integral part of our family histories and by extension, our identities.’
Director-General of the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Library of Australia Dr Marie-Louise Ayres FAHA said this exhibition captures how modern Australian communities came to be. ‘In personal papers and photograph albums, published family histories and ephemera, millions of Australian stories are made available for interpretation or enjoyment,’ Dr Ayres said.
‘The ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Library will continue to build collections about the lives, experiences, publications and organisations important to migrant communities. These stories enrich the national collection, just as migration has enriched Australian society, immeasurably.’
These resources are freely available for all to use when researching their own migrant family histories. The ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Library continues to collect material relating to Australia’s migration history and works with culturally and linguistically diverse communities to create a record of their experiences in Australia.
The arrival of migrants from diverse backgrounds has brought with it significant social, cultural and economic change. Hopes & Fears: Australian Migration Stories is about the lived experiences of these migrants, their journeys, their challenges, their knowledge and how their successors have carried these experiences forward into the modern day.
The Hopes & Fears: Australian Migration Stories exhibition is open at the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Library of Australia from 26 July 2024 – 2 February 2025. Entry is free, no booking is required.
