Little Brother oral history collection, interviews by Alison Wishart

fonds

23 April-12 October 2023

Nonmusical Sound Recordings, Oral Histories, Graphic Materials, Photographs

9675949

10 audio files (9 hr., 18 min.) - digital, WAV, stereo (48 kHz, 24 bit)
5 photographs - digital, JPEG, colour

The First World War had claimed the lives of so many young Australian men that there was a real shortage of labour in rural communities. In response to this shortage, Richard Linton MLA and a group of Melbourne businessmen conceived of a sponsorship scheme to bring young men from England to work on rural properties in Australia. The key difference between this and other youth migration schemes was that, upon arrival in Australia each lad, known as a ‘Little Brother’, would be assigned to a well-established, often affluent professional man who would act as a mentor or ‘Big Brother’.

The first group of Little Brothers arrived in Melbourne and Sydney in December 1925 aboard the SS Jervis Bay. Most of the lads were initially trained at Government owned training farms before entering rural employment. The average age of Little Brothers from the 1920s until the 1960s was sixteen, with some even as young as fourteen. Later arrivals to Australia were usually twenty years old.

Migration to Australia was suspended in 1931 as an outcome of the Great Depression. It resumed briefly in 1939 but was again halted at the outbreak of the Second World War. In 1947 migration recommenced to New South Wales. By the late 1950s an increasing number of lads were destined for urban employment. The method of arrival also changed with the advent of jet airliners, the last groups arriving by sea in 1967.

The Big Brother Movement was established as a non-political, non-commercial, non-sectarian, not-for-profit organisation that enjoyed the support of both the Australian and UK governments. It was the largest youth migration organisation of its kind. Many of the 'Little Brothers' who made the decision to migrate to Australia subsequently made significant impacts in Australia in their chosen fields. From its commencement in 1925 until the last Little Brothers arrived under the sponsorship scheme in 1982 some 12,000 lads had migrated to Australia through the Movement. It is acknowledged as the most successful youth migration scheme in Australia. In 1983 the migration scheme was terminated, the Big Brother Movement evolving into the youth support program called BBM Youth Support.

References:

1. Browne, Geoff. “Linton, Sir Richard (1879-1959).” Australian Dictionary of Biography. Accessed 3 January 2024.
https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/linton-sir-richard-7203

2. Parry, Naomi; Evans, Caroline; O’Neill, Cate. “Big Brother Movement (1925- ).” Find & Connect. Accessed 3 January 2024.
https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/ref/nsw/biogs/NE00505b.htm

3. Library correspondence file
Alison Wishart has had a diverse career working as a curator, social historian and collection manager. She earned a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) from the University of Queensland and a Masters, Museum Studies and Cultural Heritage from Deakin University. She has worked at the State Library of New South Wales, the Arts Centre Melbourne, Museum of Tropical Queensland in Townsville, the State Library of Queensland (Brisbane), the National Museum of Australia and the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. Alison is currently working with the Bayside Library (Sydney) Local History Team.

References:

1. Intellect Books. “About Alison Wishart.” Accessed 22 December 2023.
https://www.intellectbooks.com/alison-wishart

2. Wishart, Alison. “Alison Wishart: Deakin University, Cultural Heritage & Media Studies, Alumna.” Academia. Accessed 22 December 2023
https://deakin.academia.edu/AlisonWishart

FILE 1
Gordon McRitchie interview and photograph by Alison Wishart

FILE 2
Stuart Harris interview and photograph by Alison Wishart

FILE 3
Rod Salmon interview and photograph by Alison Wishart

FILE 4
David Coleman interview and photograph by Alison Wishart

Arranged chronologically

Partly restricted: Applies to File 1, Item 1

In copyright:
Copyright holder:: State Library of New South Wales
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales