Armands Laula's account of his migration to Australia

Armands Laula's account of his migration to Australia

Author Armands Laula (Australian - Latvian, 1926 - 2018)

Date1947-1948

Object number00001518

NameDiary

MediumInk on paper

DimensionsOverall: 207 × 147 × 7 mm, 0.15 kg

ClassificationsBooks and journals

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Armands Laula

Terms

DescriptionThe Latvian immigrant Armands Laula methodically records the details of the most important voyage of his life aboard GENERAL STUART HEINTZELMANN in this journal: from the displaced person camps of Germany after WWII to Perth, Melbourne and finally to the Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre. Keeping a record of his journey, which took place between 1947 and 1948, is very important for the young Latvian. He writes: "This book has accompanied me as a dear and trusted friend to whom I have entrusted my thoughts, experiences, pleasures and sorrows from the Mediterranean to Bonegilla Australia, three months and twenty days. Its contents are sad thoughts about my lost homeland and the journey that stretches ever away from it."HistoryAfter WWII, Australia started an initiative to select displaced persons in different camps in Europe and allow them to apply for migration to Australia. Armands Laula was one of the 843 migrants that left Germany on the ship General Stuart Heintzelmann for Australia. He was part of the first group of migrants sent by the IRO (International Resettlement Organisation), which was an important part of the post-war migration program headed by Immigration Minister Arthur Calwell. The migrants were chosen through a long (and, from Armands Laulas perspective arduous) process based on their fitness, occupation and background. Like other prospective migrants, Laula shows great skill in appearing exactly as the person the selection officers are searching for. This first transport is very important for the immigration policy of the Australian government, especially from the perspective of public relations. The migrants are greeted by the press and are extensively interviewed and filmed, both during their arrival and on their way to Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training center. Immigration Minister Calwell greets the migrants publicly after arrival, and public focus remains on them until they reach the places where they have to spend two years working as manual labourers, which is part of the agreement for allowing their migration to Australia. The author ends his journal entries just before he leaves Bonegilla to begin his time as a fruit picker.SignificanceThe diary of Armands Laula allows the reader a vivid and detailed look at a critical moment in Australia's immigration history: the arrival of the first group of displaced persons from Europe. Laula describes his life in displaced person camps in great detail, records the hopes and fears of a fresh migrant travelling to Australia, and details his first reactions to the new country he will call home until his death in 2018. this journal details both the physical and the spiritual journey of a migrant in expansive depth, especially during the critical time of transit between countries. It allows a rare view at the internal struggles of a prospective migrant: about identity, homeland and the necessity to keep reinventing personal truths as a means to survive as a displaced person. Laula arrives on the first ship carrying displaced persons from Europe after the war and is greeted by immigration minister Arthur Calwell increases the significance of the journal and make it a uniquely important artifact connected to the Australian migrant experience.