Ole Olsen on board the CASTEL FELICE
Date1958
Object numberANMS1453[135]
NamePhotograph
Mediumphotographic print on paper
DimensionsOverall: 246 × 182 mm
ClassificationsPhotographs
Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection
DescriptionBlack and white image of Ole Olsen on the deck of the CASTEL FELICE on its way to Australia from Denmark.
An attached paper strip on the back of the photograph reads ‘Olsen’ and ‘Striking figure among passengers in CASTEL FELICE is blond Ole Olsen on his second trip to Australia. He had returned to Denmark because of his father’s illness. Ole says he is more than ever convinced now that “Australia is the best country in the world”.
HistorySince the first Fleet dropped anchor in 1788, more than 10 million people have moved from across the world to start a new life in Australia, arriving in waves, encouraged by the 1850s gold rushes or to escape adverse conditions at home in the social upheavals of C19th Britain's industrial revolution, the turmoil of revolution, two world wars, the aftermath of the Vietnam war in the 1970s and more recent conflicts.
With the catchphrase 'populate or perish' ringing through the community, Australia stepped up its immigration in the years after WWII, offering assisted passage to British migrants, encouraging migration from European countries, and finally in the 1970s repealing the restrictive white Australia policy framed after federation in 1901. More than seven million new settlers have now crossed Australia's shores since 1945 and it's estimated that one in four of Australia's population was born overseas.SignificanceThis image is one of a series produced by Fairfax newspapers that provides a unique window into how immigrants were viewed and immigration policy articulated in the popular press. The images in this selection are significant in representing the personal face to Australia's massive post-war immigration push that saw aggressive immigration programs orchestrated by the Australian Government that was promoting a 'populate or perish' philosophy.
