SEDUCED by the promises of sun, surf and abundance - and cheap fares - almost 1.5 million Brits migrated to Australia in the decades following World War II with hopes for a dream life.
And now an exhibition exploring the personal stories, social impact and impact of the British migration, and the "ten pound poms" is on at the Immigration Museum in Melbourne.
The British who arrived in Australia between 1947 and 1981 were the largest migrant wave from any one place in Australian history.
Most came via the Assisted Package Migration Scheme, specifically designed to shore up a white Australia with an energetic government marketing campaign.
One Victorian who remembers emigrating to Australia as a young girl is Buninyong's Merle Hathaway who was at the launch of the exhibition British Migrants: Instant Australians in November.
After a long career in the arts, arts champion Ms Hathaway is now on the other side of the exhibition experience with her own story and objects on show, sharing her experience of migrating from a small village in Buckinghamshire to Australia in 1951 with her parents Stan and Lucy Hathway and sister Hazel.
On display is a Victory in Europe Day dress made by Lucy for Hazel to wear at the VE Day celebrations in Coventry in 1945.
Carpentry tools brought to Australia by Merle's father which he used to build their family home in Wendouree in the 1950s are also displayed along with baking equipment brought by her mother. Stan's copies of Oliver Twist and Great Expectations which he read during lunch breaks at a factory job are a nod to his staunch love for English literature.
Immigration Museum general manager Rohini Kappadath said he hoped the exhibition will raise awareness and trigger an important national conversation on Australia's history as a nation built on immigration.
"The stories behind the British Migrants exhibition, together with contributions of multicultural and Indigenous commentators and academics, explore the meaning and impact of British migration to Australia," he said, adding the exhibition poses questions such as 'Did British migrants have it easier than other migrants that followed?' and 'Can you become an instant Australian?'.
- British Migrants: Instant Australians is at the Immigration Museum, 400 Flinders Street, Melbourne until April 15. Cost $14, concs and children free. www.museumsvictoria.com.au
