A statue of two forlorn looking children arriving with a suitcase is Australia’s tribute to those long-ago Maltese youngsters who bravely travelled alone for three weeks on a ship in search of a better future.
Located at Freemantle Port in Perth, the monument was one of the first official visits by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi on this, his first day of a12-day trip to Australia.
Dr Gonzi pointed out that it was symbolic and significant that he should start this official visit by coming to this monument, because it means so much to those children, many of whom are now in their 70s, who went through so much hardship. He promised that a similar monument will soon be erected at Grand Harbour, the place from where so many emigrants left Malta for a better life.
“Only a few last details need to be ironed out before we set up this monument. We certainly must recognise what these child migrants went through, but we also have to come to terms with it by appreciating that, through their sacrifices, many of them have gone on to succeed and build a future for their own children.”
The first group of Maltese migrant children arrived in Perth in two large groups, first in 1950 and then in 1953, followed by decreasing numbers after that. In total, some 310 children were sent, 50 of whom were girls. Some came from children’s homes, such as St Patrick’s in Sliema, others came from large, poverty-stricken families.
We heard several stories of desperate mothers who were constrained to send one or two of their offspring to this “promised land” in the hope that they would be better off.
“Sometimes it was like a case of Russian Roulette,” said Professor David Plowman, President of the Child Migrant Association, and a former child migrant himself. “We have records which show that Australian immigration authorities would reject children who were too dark, or Arab-looking, and would choose a younger brother instead. Most of the time these were families which were planning to emigrate to Australia anyway, and some of them were reunited with their parents within a year or so. But about 150 were institutionalised.”
As for the allegations of abuse at some of these children’s homes, Prof. Plowman confirmed that there were instances of cruelty, physical abuse and even paedophilia, “but these were the exception and not the norm.”
Although it seems unthinkable to us now, in the poverty-stricken years following World War II the practice of sending small children, sometimes as young as six, as emigrants from not only Malta, but also England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales was seen as a form of “social engineering”, said Prof. Plowman. The intentions behind it were commendable: to alleviate the problem of poverty and unemployment.
Unfortunately, he added, the dislocation of these children, who were put into orphanages, often resulted in bullying and physical punishment.
“The pathological scarring never healed and although some of them went on to become successful, there were those who were adversely affected by the trauma of being separated from their homeland and families. They could not hold down jobs, and often ended up as drug addicts or alcoholics, and some even went to jail. Recognising what they went through, by putting up a monument, will help give them healing, reconciliation and closure”, he said.
Prof. Plowman has been lobbying for the Maltese monument for the last five years, but despite many promises, it has not yet materialised. He is hoping that, finally, this dream will come true: “You have to realise that many of these people have lived with these memories all their life, and this is something they need to see.”
The story of the child migrants is a poignant, heartbreaking one.
Brothers Henry and Alfred Wettinger were put on the boat to Australia because their widowed mother could not support her five children. Alfred celebrated his 11th birthday on that boat and the two boys spent six years in an orphanage. The two men have been in Australia ever since, both have done well for themselves, and speak proudly of their children and grandchildren.
Alfred Zammit, a big jovial man, was only eight years old when he was separated from his parents in Qormi. He was put into a children’s home until his family joined him 18 months later. “At the time, if you sent the children first, you had a better chance of emigrating. I was quite lucky; some of the others spent five or six years in an orphanage. I was happy to travel because we were very poor at the time. However, my time at the children’s home, run by Brothers, was one of hardship. We had to learn English and they would hit us with leather belts if we spoke Maltese. We were put to work and were basically child labourers.”
Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister met briefly with the Governor of Western Australia, Ken Michael AC, accompanied by Malta’s High Commissioner Francis Tabone and other members of the Maltese delegation. Dr Gonzi and Dr Michael spoke about the need to further strengthen the Maltese-Australian connection and the potential for more economic growth between the two countries.
In the evening, the Maltese delegation was given a warm welcome by the relatively small but enthusiastic Maltese community in Perth. The Maltese Association of Western Australia has around 150 members, and at its premises, reminiscent of a typical Maltese club, (kazin), first, second, third and even fourth generation Maltese gathered to meet the Prime Minister.
People like Felix and Rita Calleja, who have been in Perth for 55 years, and even a few babies such as 13-week-old Zepp Sciberras, whose name, Dr Gonzi pointed out, illustrates just how close the Maltese in Australia feel to their homeland.
The Maltese anthem was sung movingly and proudly, while the Australian National Anthem was given a rousing rendition by this community who have embraced their adopted country but whose hearts are still in Malta.
The honorary consul for Malta, Anthony Sciberras, gave a very humorous speech in the Maltese language, much to the delight of all those present, in which he asked us to forgive them if migrants “tend to get a bit silly” when talking about their homeland: “It is where some of our best childhood memories are.”
Dr Gonzi, who made a point of greeting each and every person in the room, described how he could feel the Maltese presence here in Perth. “Even though some of you left your country a long time ago, for us you are not emigrants, but ‘Maltin ta’ barra’, Maltese who live abroad. It is very emotional for us to come from such a small island to visit this large continent and find that Malta is still so very special to you. It is wonderful to still hear all of you speak in the Maltese language even after 50 years. Like the lyrics in the Australian Anthem say, Malta too is ‘young and free’ because many of you left when Malta was just about to become independent. Today, Malta sits alongside other EU countries and has the same equal voice as much bigger nations.”
This morning the delegation leaves Perth for Adelaide where the official visit will continue with a visit to the St Raphael’s Home run by Maltese Franciscan Sisters of the Heart of Jesus.