Abstract
This article examines the part played by the Bonegilla Reception and Training Centre in keeping the nation favourably disposed towards the immigration of large numbers of non-British people in the post-war years. It explains how the centre attracted public attention at its opening and closing and at three times of crisis - a surge in the number of arrivals and a health scare in 1948-49, then riots by unemployed migrants in 1952 and 1961. After each of these episodes, the public was told of improvements in the built fabric and conditions at the centre. Since 1987, the Block 19 remnant of the former reception centre has been developed as a commemorative centre and tourist venue. Located within its physical and temporal setting, Bonegilla is about the migrant experience and the nation's experience of migration.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 113-130 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| Journal | Victorian Historical Journal |
| Volume | 81 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 2010 |