LONDON-L Archives

Archiver > LONDON > 2003-07 > 1059289367


From: patrick holland <>
Subject: Re: [Lon] To Australia and back again in the 1800's - reasons!
Date: Sun, 27 Jul 2003 15:12:51 -0700
References: <011f01c35179$1c0fdc40$424a17cb@oemcomputer><3.0.6.32.20030725171507.007a71d0@home.it.net.au><001001c35321$aed92b40$c82538d2@mss><3.0.6.32.20030726230806.007a3800@home.it.net.au><00a701c353d0$4ec76820$d8768751@oemcomputer><002301c353ef$d9cd37a0$7c5232d2@i0l4o7>
In-Reply-To: <000801c353f4$d94f89e0$0100000a@adsl>


Hi,

The over reaction of those who say that they are offended by the suggestion
that some British migrants who returned to the UK in the 1800s may have
done so because they felt that they were not welcome begs the question why
are they offended ?

They are quite happy to accept the comment that those who went back were
either simple minded (The Kookaburra story) or lacked what it takes to make
a go of it. Presumeably these reasons are acceptable because they denigrate
the returnees but those who have been offended don 't like to hear that
there may have been deficiencies here which made the migrants return to the
UK. The sheep farmer story illustrates this point.

A sheep farmer from the UK would not go back because he was overwhelmed by
the size of his property here and the number of sheep on it. He would
compare the returns for effort and would soon realize that he would be
better off back in the UK than he would be here trying to make a decent
living on a drought prone sheep station in the outback. Its also possible
that he was sold a dummy before he came. It happens.

As I 've said, it takes guts to be a migrant and if they don 't want to
stay they have the choice of going back home and should not be critised for
doing so.

Why should that offend any body ? Are you also offended by the large number
of Aussies who live permanently overseas ? Why ?

Patrick ( one who stayed )

Perth, Western Australia.





This thread: