Quoit made by sailor for child migrant Lily Knapton on board the SS RUNIC
Date1909
Object number00028037
NameQuoit
MediumRope, paper, ink, tape
DimensionsOverall: 122 x 141 x 9 mm, 0.002 kg
ClassificationsToys, games and souvenirs
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Gary McPherson
DescriptionA sailor on board SS RUNIC made this rope quoit for Lily Knapton, who migrated to Australia as an eight-year-old in 1909. Quoits were a popular English game usually played with metal rings. Sailors adapted the game for play on ships by making the quoits out of rope. Lily kept the quoit as a souvenir of her long sea voyage.HistoryThe Immigration Restriction Act 1901 was the first major piece of legislation passed by Australia's new federal parliament. The Act placed certain restrictions on immigration and reflected the government's desire to build a white Australia.
The government's preference was for immigrants from Britain and it offered cheap fares to attract them to Australia. Many Britons saw emigration as a chance to find work and establish a new life.
In 1909 eight-year-old Lily Knapton and her mother departed Liverpool on the White Star liner SS RUNIC. They were migrating to Australia to join Lily's father, who was working as a tailor in Melbourne, Victoria. From 1901 to 1930 RUNIC operated a regular migrant service from Liverpool to Sydney.
Lily brought her favourite toys, clothes and school books with her. She kept them all her life as souvenirs of her former life in Britain and her childhood voyage on SS RUNIC.SignificanceThe quoit is part of a collection of personal possessions brought to Australia by British child migrant Lily Knapton in 1909. It provides a rare insight into the nature of childhood and children's journeys from Britain in the early 1900s.
