The memorial takes the form of a figurative sculpture by Joan Walsh Smith and Charles Smith, depicting two young children, a boy and a girl, standing with their suitcases near the edge of the warf. A statement by former WA Community Development Minister Sheila McHale says the expression on the children's faces is of "awe and wonder"; however, conversations with former child migrants suggest to me that their feelings were much more mixed, and included (well founded) fear and apprehension.
The location is significant, because this is close to the place where many of the migrants would actually have arrived in Australia. The proximity to the Welcome Walls is also important, as it raises the profile of child migrants within all the other groups of migrants arriving in Australia. Some former child migrants have their names listed on the walls, but the walls do not tell their story in any way that distinguishes it from other more willing arrivals.Although more recent memorials seem to be moving away from using figurative sculpture, the former child migrants themselves seem to appreciate it, at least in this particular example. One former migrant told me she felt able to identify with the sculpture, and that the girl's expression captures her feelings on arrival.
Like other memorials to child migrants, the funding for this memorial was a response to the "Lost Innocents" report of the Australian Senate Inquiry in 2001. The report recommended Government funding for memorials; however, the emphasis was on acknowledging the contribution migrants have made to Australia, rather than acknowledging any suffering caused by the migrations schemes that saw over 3,200 unaccompanied children sent to Australia during the 20th century.
A child migrants committee was involved in the memorial selection process, and submitted a number of suggestions for appropriate plaques that included poetry by former migrants themselves. However, a more prosaic form of words was eventually agreed. Two plaques lie side by side, one of which contains the dedication of the memorial, the other details of the artists.
The text on the acknowledgement plaque reads:
This memorial is jointly funded by the Commonwealth and Western Australian Governments and is dedicated to the British and Maltese boys and girls who left their homelands to brave an unknown future in Western Australia. Hardships were endured, benefits were derived. These child migrants provided valuable contributions to Australian society in diverse ways as parents, workers and citizens. Australia is better for their coming.
