International Migrants Day 2019Article | Updated 4 years ago Caption: Fremantle, Western Australia Credit: Josh Spires - dronenr on Unsplash 18 December Today we celebrate International Migrants Day. International Migrants Day is a chance for us all to recognise the amazing contributions that Western Australia’s migrant populations have made (and continue to make) to the development of our State and the multicultural society we all enjoy. People have migrated across the globe throughout history for many reasons, whether by choice or by necessity. Throughout our history migrants have come to Western Australia (WA) for many different reasons, including to seek a better life, to look for work, and to search for prosperity or seek asylum. Today, many Western Australian’s can trace their migrant heritage to over 100 different nationalities. Case Study: Migration through Fremantle and Albany Ports, Western Australia This timeline shares milestones in the history of WA through the lens of migration through Fremantle and Albany, following events that have helped to shape our history. Before European settlement, WA was occupied by local Aboriginal people since the earth was soft. Following the arrival of Europeans, migration has shaped our present and will continue to shape our future. A variety of national and world events, schemes, commissions, and Acts (i.e. Immigration Restriction Act of 1901, Naturalization Act 1903, Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948) have also affected migration to Western Australia throughout the years of European settlement. Please note: this timeline is not comprehensive, nor representative of all migrant stories relating to Western Australia, and is only meant to provide a brief insight. There are countless migrant stories that weave a vibrant tapestry across hundreds of years of history, and we encourage you to go and learn more about these stories, from the Afghan Cameleers of Central Australia to the Ten Pound Pom. The story of migration continues today, and it is important for the Western Australian Museum to continue to share migrant stories. 1696-97, Fremantle The Swan River was depicted for the first time in a coastal landscape during Willem de Vlamingh’s Dutch explorations of the west coast. 1791, Albany The British sent explorer George Vancouver to claim the south coast for Britain. Vancouver entered a beautiful natural harbour, which he surveyed and called King George III Sound. Near the present-day site of Albany he annexed this part of Australia on 26 September 1791. Vancouver enjoyed good relations with the local Aboriginal people. Vancouver went on to survey the east coast of America where whalers and sealers learned of King George Sound, with its fresh water, timber, colonies of seals, and pods of whales. Within a year, these hunters were marauding along Australia’s southern and western coastlines using King George Sound as a haven for supplies and shelter. The labour of Aboriginal people was often exploited, and women kidnapped, making Aboriginal-European relations more complex. 1792, Albany Frenchman Bruni d'Entrecasteaux, in charge of the Recherche and L'Esperance, reached Cape Leeuwin on 5 December and explored eastward along the southern coast. The expedition did not enter King George Sound due to bad weather. French whalers followed to exploit resources in the area. 1826, Albany On 26 October Frenchman Dumont d'Urville in the L'Astrolabe visited King George Sound before sailing along the south coast to Port Jackson. Fearful of a French claim to the area, the British send a military contingent to King George Sound. On 25 December, Major Edmund Lockyer, accompanied by a surgeon, storekeeper, officers, and 23 convict tradesmen arrived aboard the brig Amity. Major Lockyer selected a site for military occupation, the first European settlement in Western Australia. Major Lockyer named this settlement ‘Frederickstown’, after King George III's second son, the Duke of York and Albany. Frederickstown became the first European settlement established in WA. 1827, Fremantle James Stirling arrived at the Swan River aboard the HMS Success in March 1827. He surveyed the river and assessed its suitability for settlement. Stirling was eventually successful in lobbying the British Government to establish a settlement at the Swan River, and he would go on to become the first Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Western Australia. 1829, Fremantle Captain Charles Fremantle raised the British flag at Arthur Head (Fremantle) to claim the Swan River Colony for Britain. This same year, James Stirling officially proclaimed the territory of Western Australia. 1829-30, Fremantle The first migrants in the Swan River Colony were mainly retired servicemen on half-pay, professional men with their families, and artisans and servants from Britain. The colony failed to flourish and so the population stagnated. 1831, Albany ‘Frederickstown’ was officially named ‘Albany’ by Governor James Stirling. Later, political authority would pass from the older colony of New South Wales to the Swan River Colony. Also in this year, Dr. Alexander Collie, the first Government Magistrate, arrived in Albany, accompanied by two families who would become the first permanent town residents. More free settlers began to arrive and by 1837 the population numbered 171. While the harsh and yet unknown environment frustrated rural development, many locals turned to bay whaling and sealing. This eventually petered out in the 1870s. 1849, Fremantle Single women were sent to the Swan River Colony by the United British Women’s Emigration Association in what became known as the ‘Bride Ships’. This continued until 1889. Around the same time, young delinquents known as the ‘Parkhurst Boys’ were sent to the Swan River to bolster the workforce. 1850-1868, Fremantle In 1849 the transportation of convicts to WA was authorised by the British Government, and so the following year convicts began to arrive, and WA became a penal colony. The first convicts arrived on board the Scindian on 1 June, and in the years that followed Perth would experience an influx of over 9000 convicts. Indentured workers from many parts of Asia (Malay, Japanese, Chinese) were also significant in populating the far northwest of the colony at this time, greatly influenced by the pearling industry which would start up in 1851. Aboriginal people were also used as indentured labour in the pearling industry. 1851, Albany British shipping companies made Albany a bunkering depot for mail and passenger steamers servicing the demands of a Victorian gold rush. The steamer depots brought new employment opportunities and Albany’s resident population grew to 700. Most migrants, however, passed through to other Australian states. 1856, Perth Thanks to a large convict workforce improving the prospects of the colony, Perth was proclaimed a city by Queen Victoria in 1856. 1885, Albany After 1885 the construction of a railway between Albany and Perth attracted more settlers to the Albany district and provided greater opportunities for trade and commerce. The population of the town increased from 1,200 in 1888 to 2,665 in 1891. Albany, however, remained a place of transit. 1890s, Fremantle The gold rush brought the first major influx of willing immigrants to the Swan River, mostly from Australia’s eastern colonies but also from southern Europe and other parts of the world. With the need to feed a growing population, a variety of migrant schemes were created to bring market gardeners and farmers to the young State. 1890s, Albany The rush to the goldfields around Southern Cross, Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie brought another wave of migration and new prosperity as passengers and goods for the goldfields passed through the port. Although Albany’s population increased to 3,594 by 1901, by 1925 some 40,000 people had transited through Albany to other destinations. 1897, Albany When Fremantle’s inner harbour opened for business in 1897, shipping at Albany declined. Businesses closed or moved to Perth and people left the town. Also in this year, restrictive immigration measures were introduced in WA to block entry or deport those who were considered ‘undesirable’. 1905, Albany The population declined to 1,922. Government settlement and agricultural schemes aimed at increasing food production brought new migrants to Albany and its districts. Small numbers of migrants continued to arrive at the Deepwater Jetty aboard industrial and cargo ships until the jetty was demolished in 1993. 1914 - 1918, Australia Immigration virtually ceased during World War One. 1920s, Australia Australia experienced a post-war immigration boom. Two-thirds of new immigrants arrived under various assisted migration schemes. 1929, Australia On 24 October, the New York stock exchange crash triggered the Great Depression - the worst economic turndown in the history of the industrialised world. The effects of The Great Depression were felt across the world, and in Australia attitudes towards immigrant populations hardened in response to a sharp increase in unemployment. Assisted migration schemes were ceased and did not resume again until 1938. 1945 onwards, Fremantle After World War II, WA experienced a period of mass immigration, aided by schemes such as the Assisted Passage Migration Scheme, perhaps better known by the term ‘Ten Pound Pom’. People displaced by the ravages of war came to WA looking for a new life. Seaborne migration continued until 1977, when it was superseded by air travel. 2009, Albany Albany, with a population of around 35,000 in 2009, became one of the State's largest cities outside of Perth (population 1.8 million in 2009). 2016, Western Australia According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 32.2% of WA’s population was born overseas in 2016 - a 1.7% increase from 2011. 18 December, 2019 Today, Australia is one of the most culturally diverse nations in the world. This International Migrants Day, consider the ways our lives have been enriched thanks to our long history of migration. If you know someone who has migrated to WA, talk to them about their experiences and how being a migrant has shaped their life and affected their family community. Has your own family history been influenced by migration? To learn more about International Migrants Day, visit the United Nations website. Welcome Walls Caption: More than 8,000 people attended the official unveiling of the final migrant Welcome Walls outside the Maritime Museum Image copyright Pat Baker, WA Museum Over one-third of WA’s population was born overseas. The Welcome Walls at the WA Maritime Museum and Museum of the Great Southern pay tribute to those migrants who arrived by sea in Fremantle and Albany throughout our history. You can learn more on the Welcome Walls website. Immigration Stories school programs at the WA Maritime Museum Are you (or do you know) a Year 6 teacher? The WA Maritime Museum is the perfect location to bring your students as a stimulus to explore the stories of people who have migrated to Australia. Our Year 6 school program, Immigration Stories, explores questions around the challenges migrants may have faced, as well as recognising the migrant contribution to Australian society. You can learn more about Immigration Stories here.