Summary

One of a pair of handmade toy mice which were made as a farewell gift by Marjorie Childs for Barbara Woods, when she migrated to Australia with her husband John from England in 1957. This mouse is dressed in traditional French male style and carries a small suitcase with 'AUST' stitched onto the front. The pair of mice were originally presented in a tall cocktail glass.

Barbara and John Woods married in 1955 and were living in commission housing with extended family in Buckinghamshire, England when they decided to apply for the assisted passage scheme and migrate to Australia. They sailed on the Sitmar Line MV 'Fairsea' from Southampton in 1957 and eventually built their house in Thomastown in 1960. They had a variety of jobs before they opened their own drapery store in Lalor and had four children.

Physical Description

Small, white, felt mouse with pink ears and tiny beads sewn on for eyes. It has a long tail and is dressed in a red beret, dark blue hacket, red waistcoat and a tin foild scarf. It holds an olive green felt suitcase with the word 'AUST' stictched in white cotton.

Significance

The Woods family collection documents through objects, documents and photographs the experiences of an English family who migrated to Australia under the 'Ten Pound Pom' assisted passage scheme. The material enables the exploration of their entire migration narrative, from the decision to emigrate, planning and departure, the ship voyage, arrival and early settlement, including employment, building a house and family life. More than one million people from Great Britain migrated to Australia under this scheme between the 1940s and 1970s.

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