Waiting for passengers of the TOSCANA
Date1959
Object numberANMS1453[132]
NamePhotograph
Mediumphotographic print on paper
DimensionsOverall: 219 × 165 mm
ClassificationsPhotographs
Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection
DescriptionBlack and white image of a crowd waiting on the dock at Port Melbourne for the passengers of the 'bride ship' TOSCANA to disembark.HistoryA newspaper clipping attached to the back of the photograph reads ‘Young Greeks clutching bunches of flowers and boxes of chocolates lined Station Pier, Port Melbourne, today when the “bride ship” TOSCANA berthed. They whistled and threw cakes of chocolate to Greek girls lining the ships rail, chattering shrilly. Then they gathered around the concourse stairway waiting for the girls to disembark. “It was a quiet welcome today”, commented a port official. ‘Last time a ‘bride ship’ came in we had wild scenes out here”. Outnumbered. Women outnumbered men by more than 2 to 1 on the TOSCANA. Of the 735 Greeks, Hungarians, Poles, Rumanians and Yugoslavs she brought to Australia, 506 were women and girls. Three hundred and eleven of them were Greek proxy brides, girls joining their fiancés or single girls. The migrants’ escort officer, who travelled on the ship of Europe, said: “It was a very noisy ship but a very happy one, too.” The girls had organised folk-dancing and concerts on the voyage. Reunions. The 192 Hungarians, Poles and Rumanians are all joining relatives in Australia. This is the biggest group from Eastern Europe since Communist Governments eased passport restrictions. The Iron curtain lifted a little to let people join relatives here after the Australian Government appealed to Russia during the visit of Marshal Bulganin and Mr Krushchev to London last year.’
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.
Fairfax Publications, Sydney Morning Herald
1963
