Ten pound Pomx

Yes I watched and was surprised nothing was made of the voyage out, no explanation of who was sent where and I agree about the soap feeling, however, I shall watch the next episode.

I thought it was ok, and will give it a chance. I didn’t realise that the ‘Poms’ were treated so badly, so it’s not quite what I expected. I think it could go either way at this stage, but will definitely watch the next episode to see.

We had relations who went as ten-pound poms. I was talking to another relation yesterday and they remarked we never knew the conditions they were living in!!!
Photos started to appear when they had a flat with a sea view in Sydney. Mine did go out to a job they had secured whilst living in England.
I think it takes a lot for granted to expect people to know that children were sent out from British orphanages without their parent's consent. We were asking each other if we knew, I had seen it previously on the T.V.but my relation had never realised.
It was remarked that when they came back on holiday their attitude to the Aborigines was appalling and their language had deteriorated. So although not a documentary maybe not far from the truth.
Also, what was Britain thinking of sending children out without permission?
Worth watching probably.

As I mentioned on the previous thread about £10 poms, we didn't go during that period but I empathise with the disillusionment felt.

We were 'recruited' as my husband was a dentist and they were desperate for replacements for all the Australian ones who were in the UK 'bashing the nash'..

We were promised a house and a choice of areas. We were dumped in a hostel and left to our own devices.

I expect those who went out there and experienced disappointing housing and suchlike didn’t admit it to their families back home.

They knew they couldn’t return, at least for a couple or years, and it would just worry their parents to know they were unhappy, so they just stuck it out.

I haven't seen this programme and I don't expect I'll be able to access it anywhere but I often find that such stories are bulked out with "human interest" (like soaps) without much actual information about the situation they are in. In other words, the whole thing could have been filmed anywhere or at any time but for a couple of mentions of relevant names or events. Rather like Jane Austen whose books were about well-to-do people and their interactions, with notoriously little mention of what was actually bothering the people of the time (Napoleonic wars, poverty, slavery, sickness, infant mortality etc etc)

I look forward to hearing your comments as the series progresses.

I watched the first episode last night and was disappointed the 6 week boat journey was skimmed over and the story started when they stepped on dry land. I suspect there might be flashback scenes to follow. If so it’ll put me off as my brain struggles to keep up!

I was a bit disappointed too. I’d have liked to have seen something about the 6 week journey for starters.

It was interesting to see the accommodation though. We were all set to go out as ten pound Poms when I was a baby until my mother dug her heels in at the last minute and refused to go. My dad brought it up frequently over the years (jokingly!) and talked of the well-paid job he’d been promised in the mines there and the beautiful house that we’d have been living in, overlooking the sea. My mother would have enjoyed watching this!

We watched the first episode and were pleasantly (?) surprised. No cuddles with friendly koalas or similar. I think they tried to pack a lot into the first episode but when the dad and the other chap went out in the car at night we knew what was going to happen.

Was a bit puzzled by what the nurse was up to but we got it by the end.

I didn't think it was soapy at all, quite the opposite, and it couldn't be anywhere but 1950s/60s Australia. I wonder if people are surprised by some of the attitudes that were on show in Australia then?

Anyway I'll give it a fair go for the next wee while!

I am enjoying it as I went out on the scheme aged 3 and it helps to explain why my mother found life there so difficult and could not get back to England quick enough. I myself remember very little. We were lucky enough to stay with my aunt until my family were able to purchase their own house. I too would have liked to have seen something of the long boat journey out. All I know is that the men and women slept in different cabins and children ate separately from the adults which I apparently found very difficult.

Its interesting and a nice change from crime dramas and police procedurals. I'm enjoying the setting and costumes. I wonder how exaggerated the attitudes are? Were they really so racist and sexist?

It is rubbish though, not reality. A good soap opera.

ohhh....

Aboriginals weren’t fully granted the franchise until 1984.
The White Australia immigration policy ran until the mid sixties.
The UK Government sent unaccompanied children to Australia up until the 1970s, without always telling their parents
In the 2000s a colleague of my DH said he would resign from a conference committee if aboriginal entertainers were booked, because they would only turn up drunk. If they turned up at all.

So which bit is the exaggeration?

I believe Indigenous Australians is the accepted term now.

I think there was another thread about this too.

Yes, we watched it and I did say I thought they threw everything at the first episode.

It would have been interesting to see a little more about the boat journey over but if they are going to introduce so many themes into six episodes then I suppose there wasn't time.

Aveline

Its interesting and a nice change from crime dramas and police procedurals. I'm enjoying the setting and costumes. I wonder how exaggerated the attitudes are? Were they really so racist and sexist?

The interesting thing is that the working class British immigrants are being portrayed as horrified at how the Aborigines (the term used then) were treated, their lack of rights and were sympathetic towards them.
Yet those people had come from a Britain where many people held racist attitudes, particularly towards those from the West Indies who had come over to help rebuild post-war Britain.
It didn't ring true.

It isn’t true, playing into stereotypes that people like to think are true. I have met many ten pound poms and not one of them had that sort of experience. People like to think that is what it was like , so fair enough. A bit of virtue signalling about how good we are now and how awful it was then. A close friend lived in one of those camps for some time and whilst he was there as a young child he learnt Russian and Italian from his mates in there plus better English ( he is from Poland ). He said it was ok but very isolated and the food wasn’t the best, just plain Aussie stuff but they all got together and asked for some different meals and got them ( some Italian chefs were there, that would have helped). There were no Aborigines, they didn’t live anywhere near there or any of the other camps in the south.

I hope we get to see it here. Like Greenfinch, I remember families split, men off to male cabins, Mums and children together in another. I remember my Mum saying all laundry was washed in salt water, my poor little 11th month old brother had the most awful nappy rash.

One of my friends, her husband and two children went to Australia under the scheme and were desperately unhappy. She was an only child and her parents were devastated when they decided to go but it was my friend’s husband’s dream. They couldn’t settle there, came back after the two years was up and had to live with my friend’s parents as they had sold everything they owned prior to leaving for Australia. They managed to save enough to buy a house and start again. My husband’s two aunts both emigrated to Canada with their families under the £10 scheme. They worked hard and eventually had wonderful lives on Vancouver Island where we visited hem many times. They didn’t experience any prejudice from Canadians.

I knew about the children being sent via my husband's family. I didn't know until after about the abuse. Too heartbreaking that vulnerable children were treated so bad. Can't imagine living with yourself if it were my child. The racism towards the £10 poms really was disgusting, how can people do that to others, they were just stuck there.
Not been to Australia, would like to, it's come a long way with lots of struggles. The poor Aborginees treated like vermin, made outcasts from their own land.
We need to know about the past, that was then and move on.

Sorry nanna8, my husband and in laws lived there in the sixties, I lived there in the 2000s.

It wasn't all sweetness and light.

I feel as though my family dodged a bullet, parents asked me what I wanted and I said that as we were all doing so well at school, we should stay here in uk. Yes times were tough here in liverpool but by golly we were happy in our temperate climate with people helping and looking out for each other

I now have two sisters in australia, they went as young adults. I get their deep yearning for uk but they are trapped, often in searing hot summers. It was a cruel country and has made hard and brusque australians

My grandad and his 2nd family went out in the 60s, I was talking to my auntie after the first episode and she confirmed it was very like her experience.

The animosity was not only directed at the adults. I was too young to go to school in the 50’s but the son of my mother’s friend was bullied and frequently had his sandwiches stolen. This of course was not unique to Australia but it was yet another thing that apparently left the said friend in tears when we returned to the UK. She could not afford to return.