Bonegilla was a point of reception and temporary accommodation for approximately 320,000 post-war refugees and assisted migrants who arrived in Australia between 1947 and 1971. Its function was integral to the post-war immigration scheme, officially lauded as an economic and cultural success. However, considerable hardships were endured at Bonegilla, particularly during times of economic and political insecurity. Enforced family separation, poor standards of care, child malnutrition, and organised migrant protest need to be recognised as part of the Bonegilla story. Histories of Controversy: Bonegilla Migrant Centre gives this alternative picture, revealing the centre’s history as one of containment, control, deprivation and political discontent.
In this talk, author Alexandra Dellios will explore the events and outcomes of the 1952 and 1961 riots over unemployment that occurred at Bonegilla and in other immigration centres across the country. Italian migrants and their hardships are most prominent in public retellings of these riots, and Alexandra will focus on their experiences of, and resistance to government control and surveillance. The politics of the Cold War, and the role of ASIO, as well as left-wing trade unions allied with the Italian migrant cause, are also a key part of this story.
** The event will take place at :Co.As.It. Museo Italiano, 199 Faraday St, Carlton, Wed 12 July 2017, 6.30pm
Free event.
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