In 1947, the national Migration Committee of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) decided to bring 100 boys aged between 14 and 16 from Britain to Australia. They would arrive in two groups of 50 each. YMCAs in the capital cities would take responsibility for their reception and care with the cooperation of state departments of immigration. In a letter, the YMCA told Arthur Calwell, the Federal Immigration Minister, that:
'This is intended to be small experimental beginning; we trust that it may develop into a much larger scheme by which many British migrants will be brought to this country under the auspices of the Y.M.C.A.'
The Director of the Tasmanian Government Tourist and Immigration Department asked the Tasmanian YMCA to discuss any proposals with him. However, all the berths for Tasmania in 1947 were already taken so the YMCA would have to delay any plans until 1948.
It appears that the YMCA did not bring any youth migrants to Tasmania. In 1950, the Director of the Tasmanian Tourism and Immigration Department refused an invitation to the YMCA's opening of their War Memorial Building in Hobart which suggests that the organisation had no relevance to Tasmanian youth migration schemes.
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Last updated:
04 May 2022
Cite this: http://www.findandconnect.gov.au/guide/tas/TE00812
First published by the Find & Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
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