The RGHF had an enquiry from a reader who wrote:
"We migrated to Australia from England in 1963 and I once
wrote a poem about being '10 pound poms'. My mother was quite
incensed and insisted we were not '10 pound poms' but were
sponsored by Rotary, I'm trying to find out if Rotary clubs did
sponsor migrants in the 60s."
The answer is 'Yes'. After the second world war, many British
families decided to start a new life in Australia . Old
passenger liners and even a few converted 'Liberty Ships' were
used to take large numbers of emigrants to Australia from
Europe. The cost of this was subsidised by various agencies and
by Australian State governments, and was set at a low,
affordable figure. Typically this was about 10 pounds sterling
and as the British were, and are known as 'poms' in Australia,
the slightly derogatory nickname 'Ten pound poms' was frequently
applied to the new settlers.
In 1956, the Rotary Club of Fortitude Valley, Queensland,
Australia, decided to sponsor one family's migration from the UK
and by various means linked in with the RC of St Pancras,
London. The Coker family from St Pancras was chosen by the
Department of Immigration and after attending a St Pancras Club
meeting, went on their way. Rotarians in Durban, Fremantle and
Melbourne met the ship (The Sitmar Liner Fairsky) and
greeted them as they passed by.
The Fortitude Club looked after them and helped them settle
in their new life.
This was sufficiently successful that it was suggested that
with the help of other Rotarians in both Britain and Australia,
a full scale experiment be carried out, and in 1958 some 60
families emigrated with Rotary assistance.
When they arrived in Australia the local Rotary Clubs helped
with settling them into their new homes. In 1959 13 more
families were similarly sponsored and the scheme continued for a
number of years with a large number of clubs participating in
the scheme.
RGHF Senior Historian
Basil Lewis, 7 June 2006
