HISTORY WEEK

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member for Light.

Mr PICCOLO (Light) (15:48): I thank you for that wonderful welcome, Madam Deputy Speaker.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Sorry; I celebrate you on every level, member for Light. Please carry on.

Mr PICCOLO: Can I have that recorded in Hansard; thank you? Last week, I was invited by the Gawler Branch of the National Trust to officially open History Week in Gawler and, in particular, open the Willaston Migrant Hostel display organised by the trust. I acknowledge the work undertaken by the key researcher for the migrant hostel display, Mr Jeff Turner, and also draw attention to the work of Mrs Glenys Carse who conceived the idea for the project back in 1994. I also acknowledge the support provided by the library staff of the town of Gawler and the members of the Gawler history network because, without their selfless contribution, there would not be a successful History Week in the town.

Gawler is very fortunate to have a number of people who care enough about our history to bring it to life during History Week. I wish to commend their commitment to the town and its people. I was very happy to be invited to launch History Week in Gawler and officially open the Willaston Migrant Hostel display: first, because I have a strong interest and a love of history; and, secondly, I am also a migrant to this country.

Yesterday, the Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts (Hon. John Hill), in response to a question, advised the house of the objectives, themes and breadth of History Week 2010. I do not intend to cover those points except to say History Week is very important because it brings to our attention and, in some cases, to life the history of various aspects of our state. It is very important that we have an understanding of our past because who we are today is very much a result of our history, whether it is cultural, social or economic. When we have an understanding of our past we have a better understanding of where society is at today. There have been a number of events and activities during the week where people can gain a better understanding of the built, social, cultural and environmental history of our state—in my particular case, the town of Gawler.

In addition to the Willaston Migrant Hostel display, events are being run by the Gawler Show Society, the Gawler Anglican Parish, the Gawler Environment and Heritage Association and the Gawler Uniting Church. The week in Gawler has a strong oral history influence or bias which recognises that not all history is in written form.

History is about the stories of individuals or communities that share something in common, be that culture, geography and so on. Importantly, there can be more than one version of history of a particular event or era. Different people bring different perspectives to their experience of events. The history of the Willaston Migrant Hostel will depend on the perspective of the writer of the history. The experience of the migrant is different from those who worked there or experienced it from the outside, that is, the townspeople. Neither is more or less valid than the other. Having said that, the migrants I met at the launch spoke of the warm and generous welcome they received in the main from the community, particularly those who volunteered their services.

The stories of migrants in this state are interesting because, despite some stereotyping to the contrary, they are not a homogeneous group. Some migrants started their lives in this country as prisoners of war. My family, for example, migrated to this country as a result of my two uncles being prisoners of war at Loveday. One of them liked the country so much that he and his family migrated here in the early 1950s.

The migrant experience is recorded through their stories. There are stories of the suffering they incurred in their homeland, of grief and sorrow as they left family and friends behind, of their hopes and aspirations of a new life in their new country, of loneliness and sadness as they adjusted to their new lives, in particular to language and culture, of success and pride as they built new lives and families, and stories of happiness and contentment when they befriended new friends and started to feel at home in their new country.

The Willaston Migrant Hostel display pays tribute to the people who chose to make Australia their new home. Australia is a nation of pioneers, and our migrants of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s are no less pioneers than those who came in the 1800s. I urge all members of the house to make the time to experience the history of their towns or communities and to reflect on our history.