Summary

Scrapbook collated by Hazel Hathaway in relation to her participation in the Brownies before migrating to Australia with her parents Stan and Lucy and sister Merle from England in 1951. It was brought by her as a treasured memento and relates to the continuing interest in girl guiding once in Australia by herself and her mother. The scrapbook is full of mostly black and white images cut-out from magazines and newspapers relating to both Hazel's own brownie activities, as well as more general brownie activities in England and around the world. It also includes handwritten descriptions of pictures, lists of books read, tests and mottoes.

Stanley and Lucy (nee Simmons) Hathaway and their daughter Hazel survived World War II in heavily bombed Coventry, England, remaining there until 1946. They attended the Victory in Europe celebrations there on 8 May 1945. The Hathaways relocated to Buckinghamshire (where second daughter Merle was born in 1948) and Hampshire between 1946 and 1951, finally deciding to migrate to Australia. They applied successfully to the Assisted Passage Migration Scheme but had to wait two years before departing, living and touring England in a caravan until departing on the 'New Australia' 17 November, 1951. They first stayed at the Bathurst Migrant Camp in New South Wales before being relocated to a housing commission estate in Ballarat, Victoria. Within six months they had purchased a block of land, living in a caravan while their house was built. The family became active members of the local Ballarat community, with Lucy working for the newly established McCallum House Centre for Retarded Children at Sebastopol and continued her strong interest in the Brownies and Girl Guides associations.

Physical Description

Scrapbook, 32 pages, with carboard cover and thick brown pages. Front cover is yellow, blue and red with graphic representation of an aeroplane and paper illustrations glued over the top - one of girls holding hands and dancing in a long line titled 'Brownies' and the other of a girl in brownie uniform jumping titled 'Be Prepared'. Inside pages filled with newspaper cut-out articles and pictures and handwritten text.

Significance

This collection represents the experiences of thousands of post-war assisted migrants from England who brought with them memories of danger, sadness, courage, austerity and celebration in both tangible and intangible forms. This family survived one of the most severe bombings of any English city during World War II and brought with them material symbols of endurance and triumph in the Victory Day dress and Union Jack flag, symbols with almost universal resonance. The collection also includes items which tell stories about the goods migrants select in order to start new lives, the adventure of the ship voyage, and the seeking of familiar interests in a new community. The collection also explores the theme of maintaining connections and loyalties to homeland, in this case through memorabilia relating to the British monarchy and exchange projects with former local communities.

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