Museum celebrates 60 years of Greek migration

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Created on Monday, 26 November 2012 16:20

Written by Editorial staff

The Hellenic Museum has celebrated the 60th anniversary of Greek-assisted migration and the contribution the Greeks have made to Australia.

As part of the celebration, the Victorian minister for multicultural affairs and citizenship, Nicholas Kotsiras, launched  the exhibition 'Through a Child's Eyes' on Friday (November 23), which looks at the mass migration in the mid-1950s.

It will surely resonate with the thousands who migrated to Australia from Greece in the post-World War II era, according to the minister.

He commented: "As one of those Greek-Australians, this exhibition reflects my own personal experience of learning a new language and a new culture in a new country.

"It provides a unique glimpse into the Greek migrant experience and is a terrific insight into how Greek migration helped shape Victoria. Greek migrants have shaped Victoria across every field of endeavour and today we remember their dreams, aspirations, ambition and commitment that helped build Victoria."

Migration to Australia from the Greek nation dates back to the gold rush in Victoria in the 1850s, but it was not until an agreement between the two governments in 1952 that mass migration to the land down under really began.

There was a doubling of Greek-born migrants two years later in 1954 and by 1961, the population had increased to 77,333 - which was six times the amount living in Australia in 1947.

That figure would again more than double by 1971, with a total of 160,200.

Melbourne was able to achieve one of the largest populations of Greeks outside of the nation itself.

In keeping with the theme of migration and the contribution that has been made to Australia, the federal government launched the Significant Investor Visa on Saturday (November 24). This scheme will allow immigration visa applicants to forgo certain requirements such as language skills in exchange for a $5 million investment in Australia.

The minister for immigration and citizenship Chris Bowen said that Australians will benefit.

He pointed out: "It means that we're competitive with other countries, like the United States and Canada, in attracting these investors.

"There'll be strong interest around the world, there'll be strong interest in Asia, there'll be strong interest in China, and I think that's a very good thing for Australia."

The minister said there is a list of areas in which an applicant can invest such as real estate, infrastructure projects and government bonds, among other industries.