On their own - Britain’s child migrants

On their own - Britain's child migrants   18 June 2011 - 14 August 2012 See exhibition itinerary below

From the 1860s, more than 100,000 children were sent from Britain to Canada, Australia and other Commonwealth countries through child migration schemes. They were sent by charitable and religious organisations, with government support, in the belief that their lives would improve, and that they would provide much-needed labour and increase the population.

Recipient of the IMAGinE Award for best exhibition in 2011,
presented by Museums and Galleries NSW, Museums Australia (NSW), Regional and Public Galleries NSW and Museums Australia.

Few were orphans; many came from families who were unable to care for them. The lives of these children changed dramatically and fortunes varied. Some succeeded in creating new futures. Others suffered lonely, brutal childhoods. All experienced disruption and separation from family and homeland.

Child migration schemes received criticism from the outset, yet continued until the 1960s. Formal apologies were made by the Australian Government in 2009 and the British Government in 2010 but many former child migrants and their families are still coming to terms with their experiences.

A collaboration between the Australian National Maritime Museum and National Museums Liverpool, UK.

This exhibition is supported by the National Collecting Institutions Touring and Outreach Program, an Australian Government program aiming to improve access to the national collections for all Australians.

 Visit www.britainschildmigrants.com and share your memories on the exhibition message board.

Hear the experiences and thoughts of some of the former child migrants to Australia interviewed at the opening of the exhibition on 10 November 2010 at the Australian National Maritime Museum. Hear also from Richard Morris, British Consul-General, Sydney and Mary-Louise Williams, Director of the Australian National Maritime Museum. Thank you to all the former child migrants and their families who have shared their stories and experiences.