To leave the Gozitan homeland : explaining the process of Maltese emigration from applying for a passport to settling in Australia with special reference to Gozitans during 1950 and 1952

Abstract

Being the peak years of the Maltese emigration period, the 1950s serve as the perfect case-study to explore the hardship the Maltese faced in leaving their mother country to settle in a new place away from home. Australia is deemed to be the largest among the host countries where many settled in hopes of a new better life. This dissertation focuses on the process the Maltese prospective emigrants had to undertake to eventually arrive at the place of their destination; from the first seeds of thought to leave the homeland, walking hand in hand to acquire a passport to eventually travelling with these migrants to Australia with particular focus on 1950 and 1952 and the Gozitan experience. This thesis commences by giving a brief background to emigration from Malta dated back to the Norman conquest of Muslim Sicily and eventually contextualising the 1950s and what was said at the time about emigration. Chapter 1 discusses the situation of the Maltese Islands with special reference to Gozo after the Second World War. The general situation of the Maltese Islands is compared together pointing out both similarities and differences. The state of affairs is discussed from different points-of-view namely the economic, political and religious situation. Chapter 2 explores the saga and the blessings that such emigration offered for the Maltese Islands. The psychology of the Maltese which eventually led to the decision to emigrate is explored in detail especially when taking into consideration the fact that the Maltese were leaving an agricultural society to a more globalised country. The effects of this saga and the visual portrayal of the differences it brought especially in the financial sector and the multiplier effect of the Maltese and Gozitan gifts to their homeland. Chapter 3 debates the final decision to emigrate. Again, the psychological weighing of the pros and cons are at stake. The decision to leave the family behind is put into examination when compared to the prospects of a better life in Australia considering the limitations of the Maltese Islands. The risk factor is considered to be greater undertaken by the Gozitans than by the Maltese. Following the decision to emigrate comes the quest to find out more about the hosting country. Chapter 4, "The Process of Information Gathering and the Path to Mass Migration" discusses the search for information especially through social activities such as meetings in squares and wine bars. The central figure of the priest remains as important as in the previous years. The chapter ends with a brief description about the process in which the Maltese gathered in clans and families to travel in groups instead of alone. "The Gradual Process from Obtaining a Passport up to the Departure from Malta" is the name of Chapter 5 which meticulously discusses the process to obtain the necessary documents to travel. The priest or professional plays a very important role in this process. We walk with the Gozitans in their journey to acquire a passport photo, in applying for a passport, in choosing to travel either assisted or unassisted and eventually with the final logistics of the trip. Eventually the time to leave the country is due and in Chapter 6, a case study is found of a report from one of the ships travelling during 1952, looking closely at the voyage and the human aspect of the child migrants travelling aboard the Asturias. The first few days of joy and the spirit of adventure give way to boredom and treatment of infections and other problems with hygiene encountered along the trip. This voyage ends with the light of hope of the emigrants in seeing their new country of settlement. The conclusion discusses the linguistic struggles and job hunting the Maltese faced on arriving and during the first years of settlement, and the craving of a replica of Malta in Australia. The Maltese experience in settling is scanned through and the results of this settlement are looked at.