Summary

Letter from Mrs Elizabeth (Betty) Barlow, member of Burke Road East Malvern Methodist Church and wife of Alex Barlow, Secretary of the Church's 'Bring out a Briton Committee', to Mr and Mrs Ward, dated 3 December 1961, giving local news about church activities and the preparations for their arrival. The letter was written as the Ward family were sailing between Fremantle and Melbourne and about ten days from their scheduled date of arrival on 13 December. This is one of a number of letters to the Ward family regarding their planned emigation to Australia from members of Burke Road East Malvern Methodist Church prior to their embarkation or arrival.

Part of a large collection of material relating to the migration and settlement of British migrants to Australia in the 1960s under the 'Bring Out a Briton' Scheme. It documents in particular both the migration experiences of James and Mary Ward and their three children who arrived in Melbourne on the 'TSS Stratheden' from Yorkshire in December 1961; and the Burke Road East Malvern Methodist Church's sponsorship of a number of English families, including the Wards, under the Scheme. The Church's support included temporary accommodation for assisted families in a neighbouring house. The 'Bring Out a Briton' Scheme (1957-1982) was part of a Commonwealth Government initiative which offered subsidised ship fares, accommodation and support to encourage migration from the UK to Australia after World War II.

Physical Description

Handwritten letter in blue ink on a twice-folded single sheet of notepaper, giving eight faces with a printed decorative emblem of flowers and leaves in green ink on the first face, accompanied by its post-marked, addressed envelope with a blue 5d. Elizabeth II Australian stamp.

Significance

The Ward/Barlow Families collection is of national significance in documenting British assisted migration to Australia post-World War II. The collection provides a comprehensive snapshot from the commencement to completion of a British assisted migration experience and illuminates post-war immigration policies and procedures which favoured British immigration into Australia.

The collection of almost 400 items comprises a unique body of documentation with intersections between personal, community and government narratives that explore British post-World War II assisted migration. It includes photographs, personal correspondence, documents and objects offering a rare glimpse into the role of the Australian and British governments, Methodists Church sponsorship and community engagement in assisting and welcoming British immigrants to Australia. Assisted British migration was a constant theme of Australian immigration history until the early 1980s. Government initiatives such as the 'Bring Out A Briton' scheme had an enormous impact on the composition and size of the Australian population, making the Ward/Barlow collection of broad social and political historical significance.

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