Summary

Alternative Name(s): Life Buoy; Life Ring; Life Preserver

Miniature souvenir lifebuoy given to passengers on the P&O Line ship Arcadia in 1978. It is part of a collection of shipboard memorabilia collected by Margaret Wood an officer in the Department of Immigration from 1951-1960. It was collected during Margaret's own leisure travelling.

Margaret first worked in the Department of Alien Assimilation which focused on migrants post arrival, before moving to the Assisted Division which handled the reception of assisted European migrants arriving in Melbourne. Her final position was working for the General Assisted Passage Scheme, assisting migrants from the US, Scandinavia and Switzerland who came individually on general ships as opposed to migrant ships. She recalls her time with the Department with great pleasure. She was a young single woman and had just finished an Arts degree at Melbourne University. When she applied to the Public Service, she was placed with the Department of Immigration, as she spoke German. She left when she married in 1961 as per the policy at that time.

Physical Description

Red and white possibly plastic miniature lifebuoy divided into quarters with British Red Ensign flag on left and P&O Company flag on the right with inscriptions in between. There is a garb line rope attached around the rim.

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