WANTED – Lady Northcote children

A German PhD student is visiting Australia for her doctoral thesis, and has asked British child migrants who grew up at Lady Northcote to get in touch.

Susanne Quitmann is a student at LMU University in Munich, and is in the process of writing her thesis on the history of British child migration to Australia and Canada.

“I have spoken to a number of child migrants who grew up at Fairbridge Farm School at Molong in NSW, but I have not yet had the chance to talk to anyone from Lady Northcote. Research on Lady Northcote is limited, and I would like to give former students a chance to share their perspectives,” Ms Quitmann said.

“My research project ‘The Children’s Voices’ analyses the role child migrants’ voices played in shaping their own history as well as the political and scholarly process of coming to terms with the past. My project has two main objectives: making child migrants’ voices heard while reflecting on the practical and methodological limits of this endeavour, and analysing the role of children’s voices within the history of the child migration schemes.”

Ms Quitmann is in Australia with her husband and baby daughter until the end of November, and is keen to hear the stories of those who grew up at Lady Northcote.

If you grew up at Lady Northcote and want to share your experience or know more about Ms Quitmann’s research, contact her via email at [email protected], or by phone on 0493 479 862.

Lady Northcote is situated at Glenmore in the Rowsley Valley and now operates as a YMCA Recreation Camp facility. Previously, 273 British child migrants were sent to Lady Northcote between 1937 and 1958.