Hi, I’m Maree. I work on the education team at the National Archives of Australia. I’d like to welcome you to Across the Seas – stories of migration in the national archival collection, a new learning resource we have prepared to help you learn more about Australia's migration history and the personal experiences of real migrants.

So as I said, I work here at the National Archives and you might be wondering what an archive is. An archive is a place where records are kept. Here at the National Archives we keep records created by the Australian Government. Our collection begins in 1901 and it continues to the present day. Currently we have 45 million records in our collection and this is a number that is only going to keep growing into the future. Everyday, ordinary Australians come to the National Archives searching for their personal story here in our collection. They might be looking for the war service records of their great-grandmother who served Australia during World War II, or they might be trying to find their family’s migration story in our collection.

For those who don't know, migration is what happens when somebody moves from one country to another in order to start a new life there. Australia is a nation that has been shaped by migration. In fact, today more than half of us have at least one parent who was born overseas. So really, it's no surprise that we have hundreds of thousands of migration records here in our collection.

For many Australians, finding evidence of their family's migration story in our collection can be a highly emotional experience. Migration records are primary sources from a moment that is really powerful in any migrants' life; they speak to the time when they arrived in their home country – their new home country – for the very first time. Recalling this moment might bring back feelings of excitement, high expectations, and also maybe some fear and feelings of uncertainty.

Migration is a complex experience full of highs and lows. The primary sources in our collection help to tell part of this story, but they can really only go so far. To truly understand the experience of migration there is no better approach than to speak to and learn from the people who've done it themselves.

In this learning resource, we have compiled a series of video interviews with real migrants that have been organised under 4 themes. You will get to meet and hear from: Joseph, Noonee, Seraphin, Erfan and Sofia.

Beneath each video, you'll notice a series of questions and activities to help you engage with ideas about migration further. You can do these on your own, or in small groups, before moving on to the next video. The order you watch the videos in is up to you. I'm going to say goodbye now and wish you all the best on your journey through this resource.

Maree: Welcome back. I hope you enjoyed learning from Sofia, Seraphin, Erfan, Noonee and Joseph.

Listening to these real Australians tell their life stories in their own words made me appreciate what an incredible and life-changing experience migration really is.

I was impressed by the resilience that each of these incredible Australians showed in the face of adversity. And I also loved learning about the different ways they've helped others since they came to Australia, as well as the strategies they’re using to raise their voices and be heard.

Before we conclude our journey Across the seas today, there is one more family who I'd like you to meet.

[video cuts to a new section]

Stephanie: My name is Stephanie Brantz. I'm a second generation Australian of Dutch parents and I work in the media as a freelance presenter across the ABC, Fox Sports and ESPN.

Hans: Why we went to Australia was that we wanted to leave Holland because it was a lovely country, but it was too small for us.

Philippina: When we had decided on Australia we applied for assistance with our fares because that would help us financially.

Hans: We chose to stay, settle in Brisbane simply because of the climate.

Brisbane was actually a very, very good choice for us in the end, we didn’t think so in the beginning because we were crying and all that. But seeing the opportunities, seeing the weather was fantastic. And with the children it was just wonderful. We were a happy family, we did things together. We were discovering the country as well as the children and it was a great time.

We became Australian citizens at the first opportunity in 1973.

Philippina: To become an Australian citizen, was for us, a normal progression of living here. We knew we'd stay here, our children were born here, and we liked the country.

Stephanie: In 2016 I got a message out of the blue saying that the Dutch Royal Family were paying a visit to Canberra and 'Would I like to come along and meet them?'.

Hans: The Dutch Royal visit was really fantastic to us because we hadn't expected it and all of a sudden Stephanie said, 'Can you come and be my guest at the Dutch Royal visit?', ah wonderful!

Stephanie: The King and Queen turned out to be just a delightful couple. They were so friendly. They must have shaken so many hands and had to smile at so many people, but they were friendly and enthusiastic, and they wanted to hear everyone's story.

One of the most fascinating things about the visit to Canberra was the Archives gave us all a copy of the paperwork that Mum and Dad had needed during their migration and I realised I knew nothing about the process by which they came to be in Australia and it was really fascinating to see that they were interviewed and described as 'Quite a pleasant couple'.

Hans: While we were waiting to be called in Stephanie actually came to us and said, 'You know that you're a very pleasant couple?' 
I said 'Really?' 'Yeah I read it in your papers.' I said, 'What papers?' So, we actually went in and saw our papers for the very first time.

Philippina: It was a bit confronting to see some of it but we're very happy that we have the copies and we can show it to our children.

Stephanie: It was fascinating the detail they went into. They spoke about their photographs and commented on the fact that my father is of Indonesian heritage. So, they even made comment that they thought he looked European enough, he’d be okay, and I thought that was interesting that, that was something they took into account.

[video cuts back to Maree]

Maree: As you can see, finding their migration story in the National Archival collection was a powerful experience for Stephanie and her parents.

Perhaps you're wondering whether National Archives has evidence of your family's story too. Given the size and the scope of our collection, there's actually a very good chance that we do.

Beneath this video you'll find a series of activities to help you explore our collection further. This includes activities that also deal with theme of migration and Australian identity, as well as pathways for finding your connection to the collection.

I'm going to say goodbye now and see you next time.

National Archives of Australia holds the migration and service records for many Australian families. Some of these records have been digitised, so they can be viewed online. Use RecordSearch to find out if National Archives has any record on your family.

• Go to 'Basic Search' on RecordSearch
• Enter the full name of a family member, or enter your surname and see what comes up
• Where there is more than one result, look for key words like 'service number’ that will indicate what kind of record it is
• Remember that not all records will be digitised – if they are, click on the digitised item icon to view the record.

In addition to records of people, National Archives also holds records of places, including nearly 11 million photographs. 

Use RecordSearch or PhotoSearch to find out more about either the place you live, or a place you have visited in Australia.

• Go to 'Basic Search' or ‘PhotoSearch’ on RecordSearch
• Enter the name of a place you have visited
• Where there is more than one result, looks for ones that are digitised
• Remember that not all records will be digitised – if they are, click on the digitised item icon to view the record.

Our Aussie Aussie Aussie? Peter Drew's street art classroom resource teaches you more about migration to Australia by exploring the impact of the White Australia Policy. You will learn how artist Peter Drew used records from National Archives of Australia to create artworks that engage with the ideas of migration and Australian identity.

National Archives of Australia has nearly 11 million photos in our collection. Use PhotoSearch to find a migration photo to inspire a short story that explores an aspect of the migration experience. You could explore themes like family, culture, travel or identity.

• Go to 'PhotoSearch' on RecordSearch
• Enter a keyword or a couple of keywords. For example: you could search ‘migrant’ or 'migrant' and 'boat' together to get different results. You can also set dates, if you want to see photos from a particular time period
• Click on the image that you want to see
• Optional: read the title for the image, as it gives some additional information that you could use to build your story

In groups, film a short 3-to-5-minute migration story video. This can either be a true story of your family, or a migration story you have written yourself based on your research.

In order to create a migration story video, you will need to write a script and conduct an interview. In your group, write four to five questions and the answers. Make sure your questions invite the person being interviewed to tell their story, including the reasons for someone to migrate and impact of migrating on that person.

Record one member of the group answering the questions, while another member of the group films and another asks the questions.

Optional: Edit your video using B-roll. To do this, insert images or video in-between the interview answers using video editing software. Consider using family photos or photos from RecordSearch to do this and theme them around what the person being interviewed is saying.

Once all the groups are done, share the videos with the class and discuss the different stories that were told.