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Thea Hengeveld aboard the FAIRSKY

Publisher Fairfax Publications, Sydney Morning Herald

Date1963

Object numberANMS1453[150]

NamePhotograph

Mediumphotographic print on paper

DimensionsOverall: 305 × 228 mm

ClassificationsPhotographs

Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection

Terms

DescriptionBlack and white portrait of Thea Hengeveld posing with a railing aboard the FAIRSKY on its arrival in Sydney. A newspaper clipping attached to the back of the photograph reads ‘A group of Dutch migrants arrived in Sydney on the FAIRSKY today – on a “getting to know you” visit. They will report on conditions here for prospective migrants un Holland. Thea Hengeveld, 21, of Arnhem (pictured) said “What I have seen so far I like very much”. “I’m sure I’m going to enjoy Australia.” Miss Tilly Oomes, 25, of The Hague, said the trip was sponsored by the Dutch Immigration Office. “We come here as migrants and the tell our people what it is like”, she said. Unhappy. “Many Dutch people have returned to Holland unhappy about the conditions here. So we have come to really find out what conditions are like. We will report back to the Dutch Government, newspapers, and to our families” she said. The group, of about 14 young people, will stay in various parts of N.S.W. for periods up to two years.’ 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.