How Literary Texts Describe Migration Experience to Australia - Essay Example

How Literary Texts Describe Migration Experience to Australia Name: Institution: Course Title: Instructor: Date: How Literary Texts Describe Migration Experience to Australia 1.0 Introduction The current multi ethnic and cultural composition is not what used to be of Australia in earlier centuries. The known original occupants were the Aboriginals. The island of Australia came to the lime light as a result of expletory work by a Dutch explorer known Willem Jansz in 1606. The settlement on immigrants in Australia became prominent when British Government decided to settle some of it convicts in Australia. In 1788 Captain Arthur Philip and around 1, 350 people arrived in Botany Bay marking the entry of first immigrants to Australia. This was to be followed by 1790 fleet (Australian Government, 2008). Since then people have immigrated to Australia to form the multicultural and multi ethnic nation as it is today. According to Museum Victoria (2012), immigration has formed a critical component of Australian history. They note that since 1788, millions and millions of people have trooped to the country for various reasons. The actual turning point of having deliberate policies to encourage immigration was after world war two when Japan almost seized Australia as result of vast country with small population. These forced the government to seek for extra population with an annual estimation of 700, 000. The bulk of these were to come from Britain. However, the challenge emerged that Britain could only provide half of these numbers. This forced the government to broaden their search so that they could accommodate other whites from different countries. The journey of these earlier migrants was marked with different facets of feelings. These included fear, sadness, excitement and fear. This paper discuses the experience of migrants from their home country to Australia during post world war two and those who moved as result of political dynamics. To answer the same, the paper will use examples drawn from individuals. 2.0 Immigration to Australia at Post World War 2 During the World War 2 period, most entry ports to Australia were closed. However, after the end of the war, many people who needed a break from Europe and other parts of the world moved to Australia this was as a result of agreement between Australia and Britain, some European countries and International Refugee Organisation (Australian Government, Department of Immigration and Citizenship, 2009). In the initial stage, the movement was horrible experience as people were ferried using restructure war ships with dormitory styles of accommodation. With the migrant trade growing lucrative, the transit companies improved their services and went a notch higher by advertising on the routes to be used. It in the same period the government of Australia embarked to marketing the country as a favourable destination for immigrants. The phrase used by then was “populate or perish”. Immigrants who were called by then displaced persons fled their countries as a result of wars, dislocation and redrawing of national borders to Australia. It is estimated that from 1947 to 1953 as much as 170, 000 displaced persons had migrated to Australia. Most of these migrants were from Eastern Europe. The second batch of migrants came from mid 1950s to 1960s. during this second phase, the trend changed exponentially with most migrants coming from Eastern and Northern Europe with Britain only constituting half of them (Museum Victoria, 2012b). From 1970s, the expansion of technology meant that there was paradigm shift where transit providers moved from using ocean liners to aeroplanes. 1977 marked the end of arrival of assisted migrants using ocean liners. It is noted that during 1970s, immigration top Australia dropped significantly with the lowest record being 1975. However, the trend recovered in 1980s. The beauty of this switch is that use of plane has eased the movement from one point to Australia. From 1970s, those arriving to Australia have diversified with new migrants coming from other countries like Vietnam, China, New Zealand, Chile, Poland and Horn of Africa among others (Museum Victoria, 2012c). 3.0 Experiences Moving to a new environment is a challenging process. The challenges emanate out of the fact that there might be cultural barriers & systems, language barrier, different climatic condition, different economic & political systems and possibility of new diseases. The assisted passage where immigrants pledged to offer their labour to Australian government creates a mixed reaction. A reaction of struggle to get out of strenuous conditions and an experience of joy marked with challenges. The experience of these immigrants can be best understood in two perspectives. The first is the experiences while they were in high seas. The second experience, are those associated with the host countries especially in the temporary accommodation centres in New South Wales. As a result of these one can experience different feelings. There are those who are likely to be excited, those who are likely to be anxious and those who can be depressed. These experiences goes a notch higher when the people who are moving in are moving under distress especially after world war two where there was alignment of nations along certain axis. The concern for one would how to integrate socially, how to build economic fortunes and how to settle physically within the recipient community. Moreover, before air travel became the main domain for transporting people from one continent to the other, the process was long and tedious (Museum Victoria, 2012a). This then means that the experiences during transportation and at temporary camps can be analysed from psychological perspective, social and economic perspectives. 3.1Crowded Housing with Basic Facilities Those who were being ferried immediately after World War 2 especially those from Poland and Britain were carried in congested and demeaning vessels. These were redesigned war ships that were not meant for public transit. The next point of crowding was at the accommodation centres. All of the accommodation centres (transit camps, holding centres and workers hostels) were crowded with basic facilities. The norm by then was that five families of assisted migrants were accommodated in one dormitory. Most of the dormitories were huts made of corrugated iron walls with no linings and floor made of timber. This meant the houses were uncomfortable during cold and hot weather. Moreover, the facilities there were rudimentary and limited in numbers. This exposed the occupants to unhygienic and poor living conditions (Red Apple Education, 2012). For instance, Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre located in Victoria hosted more than half of 170, 000 displaced persons in the period of 1947 to 1953. Northamp Camp equally had high number of with an estimation of 15, 000 (Woollacott et al., 2012, p.274). The other camps that come into forefront when one talks of overcrowded and unhygienic living conditions is the Graylands army camp located in Lantana Avenue. The structures there had minimal facilities and meant integration of these new immigrants into new Australian life was difficult. The heaviest bit of these housing camps was that they were operated the same as military camps. The migrants were expected to live in accordance with camp rules and dinned communally in halls. There are numerous assisted migrants who state their experience during the immigration process. One immigrant of German origin observed that everything was open. She indicates that the barracks, the tin roofs, the mattresses, the grey blankets, the shower facilities were all open. She laments about privacy (Woollacott et al., 2012, p.276). While the conditions were not that favourable, the government tried to create an environment that is appropriate for integration. The migrants were taught about weights, money, measurements, taxation and citizenship. Moreover, the government gave them unemployment benefits and child endowment (Red Apple Education, 2012). 3.2 Isolation The experience of isolation by migrants was evident during the process. This was more pronounced once they arrived in Australia. Once the assisted migrants who were displaced persons in their home country arrived in Australia, they were accommodated in temporary centres in Australia. In New South Wales alone, there were roughly 40 accommodation centres. These centres were old army barracks with limited facilities. Under the programme, the household heads were expected to offer labour at government projects for two years. This meant that husband stayed in old army barracks while the women and children stayed behind in migrant accommodation centres. This is what created isolation since the head of the family was hosted somewhere providing labour to the government so that their stay in Australia would be guaranteed (Migration Heritage Centre, 2012). Moreover, one is likely to feel isolated and lonely by moving to new territories where he or she has got no any social connection. This means that the individual has to build a new social network and create a good rapport. For instance, people being lamped together in one room irrespective of their background and barriers. As noted isolation was not experienced with those who lived in accommodation camps alone, but also those who had a well arranged arrival. The case of Masumi Hiraga Jackson highlights the same. Born in 1935, in a family with interest in textile studied librarianship and Japanese literature. This enabled her to teach at various schools and universities. While engaging in the same she met Thomas Jackson an Australian in a conference. They were later to marry and settle in Melbourne, Australia. However, all does not end well when the husband suddenly die out of heart attack after three years of marriage. This placed her in thick and thin situation of either to return back to her home or stay. She eventually decided to stay and keep herself busy by engaging Noh theatre, Ikebana and paper doll-making in Melbourne (Museum Victoria, 2012d). Secondly, the case of Kal Friedrich Muffler underlines the same feelings. Born in 1900, Karl met a German-Australia citizen who recruited him as pastry chef. In 1939, he was detained as an enemy alien in Victoria. He was to be interned for six years in Tatura camp (Museum Victoria, 2012e). 3.3 Treatment as Second Class People The initial strategy of transferring population to Australia favoured mostly those of Anglo-Celtic origin. After gaining independence in 1901, the government fearing arrival of those who were culturally divergent formulated Immigration Restriction Act (1901). This belief was confirmed during the census of 1911 that showed of 3, 774, 000 most were born in Australia and, 18 percent being born in Britain, two percent from the rest of Europe and 1.5 percent from Asian or Pacific region (Woollacott et al., 2012, p.266). The same continued during inter-wars period in 1920 with the bulk supplier being Britain (Woollacott et al., 2012, p.268).The aftermath of world war two is what pushed the Australian government to relax their white’s only policy. During world war two many people in Europe were left homeless. Moreover, Nazis had forced many people in Eastern and Central Europe to be refugees (Woollacott et al., 2012, p.271). It is in the wake of these constraints that countries aligned to allied forces like Britain, United States and France put much of pressure on Australian government to accept displaced people from Eastern and Central Europe. However by 1947 Immigration Restriction Act (1901) was still in force. This meant that those who were fair skinned and fair haired were the one to be taken (Woollacott et al., 2012, p.272). A Bulgarian puts this observation appropriately in context. He notes one thing they had to pass through was medical examination. The demeaning aspect of this process was that all were expected to be examined in a queue stripped to the waist instead of private consultation room. In addition, he indicates that after the doctors examined him, they claimed that he was fit for physical work yet he was a student (Woollacott et al., 2012, p.276). 4.0 Conclusion The aim of the paper was to explore how literary texts describe migration to Australia. The paper found out that the assisted migrants faced various strenuous conditions. Those who faced even more challenges were those who were coming outside the Anglo-Celtic ethnic group. One the challenges faced by these migrants who came in after world war two was crowded conditions with limited facilities. The second problem faced by them was isolation since they were new to this environment in terms of language and at most of the times husbands were away from their families. Lastly, most immigrants found it hard because they were seen as second class as a result of treatment accorded to them. References Australian Government (2008). European discovery and the colonisation of Australia: European mariners. Retrieved on 17 September, 2012 from: http://australia.gov.au/about- australia/australian-story/european-discovery-and-colonisation. Australian Government, Department of Immigration and Citizenship (2009). Fact Sheet 2: Key Facts About Immigration. Retrieved on 17 September, 2012 from: http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/02key.htm Migration Heritage Centre (2012). Belongings: Post World War 2 Migration Memories & Journeys. Retrieved on 17 September, 2012 from: http://www.migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au/belongings/ Museum Victoria (2012a). Journeys to Australia. Retrieved on 17 September, 2012 from: http://museumvictoria.com.au/discoverycentre/websites-mini/journeys-australia/. Museum Victoria (2012b). 1940s-60s: A Journey for Many. Retrieved on 17 September, 2012 from: http://museumvictoria.com.au/discoverycentre/websites-mini/journeys- australia/1940s60s/. Museum Victoria (2012b). 1970s-2000s: A Changing Journey. Retrieved on 17 September, 2012 from: http://museumvictoria.com.au/discoverycentre/websites-mini/journeys australia/1970s2000s/ . Museum Victoria (2012d). Discovery Centre: Masumi Hiraga Jackson. Retrieved on 17 September, 2012 from: http://museumvictoria.com.au/immigrationmuseum/discoverycentre/immigrant- stories/masumi-jackson/. Museum Victoria (2012e). Discovery Centre: Kal Friedrich Muffler. Retrieved on 17 September, 2012 from: http://museumvictoria.com.au/immigrationmuseum/discoverycentre/immigrant- stories/karl-muffler/. Red Apple Education (2012). “Populate or Perish!” Retrieved on 17 September, 2012 from: http://www.skwirk.com.au/p-c_s-56_u-490_t-1332_c-5121/TAS/10/Populate-or- perish!/After-World-War-II/Australia-after-1945/SOSE-History/ Woollacott et al. (2012). Migration experiences (1945-present). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved on 17 September, 2012 from: http://www.cambridge.edu.au/education/resource/pageproofs_8_607682.pdf Read More