HIS3MHI: SEMESTER 2, 2018

Research Essay: Turkish Migration - What was the

hardest part of migrating to Australia as a young
man in the 1990’s?

Analyse of the Turkish migration to Australia (Melbourne in particular) from the 1960’s to the
late 1990’s and discussing the hardest part of migrating to Australia.

Goksu Sky SAHIN

Tutor: Ruth Ford
 THE TURKISH MIGRATION TO AUSTRALIA FROM THE 1960’S TO THE
LATE 1990’S AND THE PUZZLES OF MIGRATION.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT: THE JOHNNIES AND THE TURKS

i
After the World Wars Turks in Australia were interned as enemy aliens and as a result from the Battle of

Gallipoli, a government reform passed through the parliament – the Enemy Allies Act. The 1920 Enemy Allies

Act prohibited more Turks entering Australia for five years, and Asiatic Turks continued to be prohibited from

entry to Australia under the White Australia Policy. ii However, most Turks were classified as European rather

than Asiatic therefore were able to immigrate. Immigration from Turkey to Australia declined in the first half of

the 1980’s but then resumed in the second half due to high inflation and unemployment in Turkey. iii Since

then, migration from Turkey has declined, with

most arriving under the Family Stream of the

migration with smaller numbers as general skilled

migrants. iv Cypriot Turks were among the first

Turkish to arrive to Australia mainly during the

1950’s and came to Australia as skilled tradesmen.

However, the first wave of Turkish migration

began in the 1960’s after a bilateral agreement

was signed by both the Australian the Turkish

Governments. The migration period was

prominent mostly between the 1960’s and the

Figure 1 Turkey: Signing Australia/Turkish Migration Agreement, 1967

1970’s. Significantly, the arrival of plane loads of
[NAA: A1200, 11339854]
Turkish migrants in 1968 marked the most

significant encounter between Turks and Australians since the 1915 Gallipoli campaign. v
 A NEW BEGINNING: THE BILATERAL AGREEMENT

In October 1967, Australia and Turkey signed a bilateral

agreement on assisted migration.

“This brought the first significant wave of migrants to

Australia from outside western Europe since 1901,

including Australia’s first large Muslim population” vi

- Teresa Gambaro, Assistant Minister for Immigration

and Citizen.

Figure 2 Signing Australia/ Turkish Migration Agreement [NAA: A1200,

11339851]

The bilateral agreement provided assisted passage to Turkish migrants. This also helped to build Australia’s

population and expand its workforce. Around 19,000 assisted Turkish migrants arrived in Australia between

1968 and 1974.vii Members from the Cypriot Turkish Association and the Australian Islamic Federation were

waiting for the new Turkish migrants to arrive at the Sydney Airport. This was a moment of victory for the

Cypriots because they now had their own people with them and each year the

numbers were increasing. The Turkish people were also grateful as they

were greeted and welcomed by their own people. However, it

wasn’t only the Australian-Turkish people that wanted more

Turks to arrive, Australian officials [also] hoped that many of

Turks will decide to stay once they have become absorbed in

the Australian way of life.viii

Figure 3 Immigration: Migrant arrivals in Australia - First Turkish

assisted passage migrants arrive at Sydney [NAA: A12111, 7501296]
 THE TURKISH COMMUNITY

The Turkish community preferred to live in

suburbs such as Coburg, Brunswick and

Broadmeadows mainly because the first Turks

in Melbourne where there. Being in the same

area as other Turks, gave a sense of union and

relief for the migrants. Turks believe that they

were like a family together. They experienced

everything together. They all went through hell, Figure 4 Ferda Şahin’s House in Brunswick

in the factories, in the streets. They didn’t know anything. They never had any Australian friends. Australians

didn’t like visiting or inviting others as they did. The Turks enjoyed each other’s company and visited each

other a lot. ix Housing was also cheap in those areas, so they preferred to acquire housing there. Additionally,

construction of one of Melbourne’s earliest mosques was built in Coburg in the year 1972 and as practising

Muslims that was one of the greatest impacts to choose Coburg as their residential place. x Many of the

migrants also were fortunate enough to find

vacancies at the Ford Motor Company thus

explains why Broadmeadows was also a preferred

suburb. xi

Figure 5 Ferda Şahin working at the Ford Motor Company, 2015

 WE CAME AS WORKERS – WE BECAME CITIZENS

Although Turks coming to Australia were classified as permanent settlers and the Turkish Minister of Labour Ali

Naili Erdem rejected the idea that Turks were only coming to Australia for a limited time only xii, many of the

migrants began their journey here in Australia believing that it only short-term. Majority of migrants planned

to work, save money and return to their homeland. However, that did not happen. It wasn’t as easy as they

dreamt. The migrants mainly came in their early adulthood and they had formed their families here. They had

children and thought it was best for their children to seek education in this country rather than back home. As

their children grew older, it was near impossible to settle back in Turkey. The migrants had labelled Australia

as home. They created their families here, they formed many friendships, they bought their homes and cars in

this country. They invested for the future for their children in this country. They were living the “Australian

Dream”. Sure, they did struggle a lot. There were

days, were they did not have a penny in their pockets.

There were days where they did not even see their

children from working overtime, but they did not give

up because of their dreams. They were on a journey

to build a better future for their children.

Figure 6 Turks at Ericsson Pty Ltd, North Coburg, 1971 [NAA:

A12111, 7422232]
CASE STUDY: FERDA SAHIN

Ferda Sahin was only twenty-two years of age when he decided to

migrate to Australia. It sure has been a wild rollercoaster for him.

Having spent his whole life in a village in Turkey and suddenly

moving to a city down under wasn’t really what he was expecting

from life. His finance at the time was also from Turkey but was living

in Australia with her family. Ferda, sacrificed his life and his own

family to start a new life with her in Australia. He didn’t need to

change his life over to such a degree where he had to start all over,

but it was a matter of fact of pleasing his wife and trying to keep her

happy and in all respects didn’t want her to be away from her

family. Have you ever witnessed a person that sacrificed his whole
Figure 7 Ferda and Gönül Şahin at their wedding day,
1992
life for his significant other and future with his children? Well I have,

and that person is my father…

WHAT WAS THE HARDEST PART OF MIGRATING AS A YOUNG MAN IN THE 1990’S?

Ferda Sahin lived a bewildering life here in Australia. As the only son and the youngest child of the family, he

flew away from the nest to start a new beginning. Starting a new life did have

a fair amount of consequence to it. He learnt the skills of adulthood. He learnt

how to be independent. He learnt that one doesn’t always get what he or she

desires from life. He learnt that he had to work hard to live and to look after

his family. And most importantly, he learnt that homesickness wasn’t the way

he wanted to continue his life. He wasn’t a son anymore. He was a husband

and a father of two. He understood that he had to nurture and love his own

family more. The love in his heart, the warmth and the compassion were now

mainly for his wife and children. Although, he still maintains a strong

relationship with his family overseas, he admits that this was his destiny and

Figure 8 Ferda Şahin aged 5, 1973 he is grateful every day for the blessings God has showered him with.
EMPLOYMENT

Most of the Turks were working in factories at the time as it was reported that 25 percent of the Turks were

skilled, and 75 percent were unskilled.xiii The Australian Government granted jobs to immigrants in favour of

their hard work and resilience. The Turks were working extremely hard because their wage was low, and they

had huge responsibilities such as paying the rent for their house, saving up for a car and most importantly

trying to save up for their return ticket back to Turkey. The factories that the Turks mainly worked in were

Ericsson Pty Ltd, the Chef Email factory (rephrased as Ocak Fabrıkası by the Turkish), Nonferral: a copper and

aluminium factory and lastly the Ford Motor Company. xivDue to the unfortunate happenings in the Battle of

Gallipoli, there was a stereotype against the Turks living in Australia. However, the Turks always completed

their designated tasks and jobs with diligence and that was acknowledged by the Department of Immigration.

In 1971, the 4th of June, the Department of Immigration Canberra, released a statement to express gratitude

for Turkish breadwinners.

“They are highly regarded by employers as

excellent workers and their contribution to the

social and cultural fabric of Australian life will be

valuable. The employment position with Turkish

breadwinners is excellent, they have a good work

record…” xv

Department of Immigration, CANBERRA. A.C.T.

2600. 4 June 1971

Figure 9 Statement Release by the Department of Immigration

Canberra, 1971
THE PUZZLE OF MIGRATION: Not Knowing What To Expect

Along with the satisfaction and welfare that came along with employment, it was scary because my father,

Ferda Şahin, just like any other migrant did not know what to expect. He was twenty-two years old when he

left Turkey and didn’t have any experience working apart from hospitality during his secondary years. In 1992,

only after twenty-five days of arriving to Melbourne, he was employed at the Chef Email factory (Ocak

Fabrıkası) and began working straight away. It was a new challenge for him. His lack of English was a purpose

of entertainment for English-speaking labourers in the workforce. He mainly had to use body language and use

his hands to symbolise what he wanted to say. There were a few Turks that understood the language and

helped each other out but when they were not around, life was tough. They were working individually but that

did not stop the bullying or the verbal abuse that occurred. The management was happy to see these migrants

working harder than the Australians, however, they weren’t always present, so co-workers took advantage of

that and were making fun of the migrants.

“They would always laugh at us and make fun of us because we didn’t understand their language. We were

afraid that they would keep laughing so we couldn’t even ask for help when we needed to”

That explains why they were so persistent.

THE PUZZLE OF MIGRATION: Having No Choice

My father migrated to Australia to live a better life with my mother. Australia offered better opportunities

than Turkey at the time, so it was reasonable for my father to come to Australia. He was aware that everything

around him was going to change and that he was going to face challenges.

“The hardest part of migration was having no choice.”

Obviously, he wasn’t forced into anything. However, the effort to start a family in a new challenge did some

severe outcomes. He didn’t have a choice. His background was Turkish and only spoke that language. As he

was also a high-school graduate he did not have further study in English and that led him to struggle quite a

lot. Although, he was putting in the effort to learn and adapt to the language, it wasn’t that easy.
 “If there is one thing that I learnt about migration it is that one must educate him/herself. If you educate

yourself, you will always be able to stand up for yourself and speak up. If you are a victim of something, you will

easily be able to defend yourself. You will be able to protect the ones around you. You wouldn’t be experiencing

the hardships that I faced. If you really want to achieve something and succeed in life, really chase after your

dreams and work hard. Hard work will always pay off and people will learn to respect you.”

My father didn’t have any knowledge of the English language so in the workforce when he was a victim of

bullying and segregation, he didn’t have a choice to stand up for himself he lacked the basics of the language.

“I felt like I was in a deserted island. Or like an abandoned forest, surrounded by cannibals, they were staring at

me with hate and disgust and were ready to bite my head off.” xvi

THE PUZZLE OF MIGRATION: The Notion of Loneliness

The notion of loneliness and isolation was a mutual feeling amongst all the migrants. Some had left their

partners behind, some left their children and others like my father left their family behind. Despite having my

mother and her family in Australia, my father felt incomplete. He had left behind his parents, siblings and

friends. He did not know anyone from here. He was dealing with the endeavour of living in a foreign country

with no knowledge of the language or any societal norms and expectations. There was a huge cultural diversity

between the Aussies and the Turks and it took a while for my father to get used to the Australian way of living.

As years went by, isolation was still

present. He had formed friendships with

many Turks but couldn’t form a friendship

with the Aussies mainly because he

couldn’t speak English. Although he met

new people it was difficult for him to feel

like at home because his family was not

with him. xvii

Figure 10 Ferda Şahin with his family and wife's family, 2003.
 LETTERS

The main form of communication was via writing letters. These letters are quite significant because I can feel

my father’s emotions strongly. In fact, it is quite sorrowful because it seems as though his family is drifting

apart. Writing letters did take time and when one side didn’t reply to a letter as soon as they received it the

other side feels as though they have been forgotten. And that is a feeling that no one should ever have to

experience.

“My beloved brother, I have watched your wedding video

that you have sent. I congratulate you both. I am sorry and

really upset that I couldn’t come to your wedding. I just

want you to know that I wish you time a lifetime of

happiness. The important thing is for you to be happy with

your wife. Never upset each other and always shower each

other with love and respect.”

My father’s sisters couldn’t make it to the wedding due to

the long distance. My father had sent a copy of the wedding

video to his sisters and parents. From the letter, it is quite

obvious that his sisters were quite saddened that they

wouldn’t witness their brother’s happiest day. Observing

Figure 11 A Letter from Ferda Şahin's Younger Sister, 1992.
the sisters’ response, it can be understood that my father was

also devastated that no one from his family was there with him on his wedding day. This reflects back

on his loneliness and the isolation he felt. A major consequence of migrating to another country.
“My son Ferda,

I hope you are all well, may God increase

your happiness. We are good, we always

think about you two and wish you the best.

We think about you as much as you think

about us. Like I said, we are really good. My

son and daughter-in-law, happy New Year, I

wish you both the best in everything. Also, I

Figure 12 A Postcard from Ferda Şahin's Parents, 1993.
hope you bring on great successes from your

jobs. I am kissing both of you, and especially my grandson Furkan. Your mother also sends her regards and

wishes you a very good year. Sending you lots of kisses.”

 Due to the low wage that migrants used to receive, it was difficult to go overseas. It would take them

as long as five to six years or even more to save up and go to Turkey to see family and relatives. Due

to their Islamic background, they couldn’t celebrate Eid in Turkey in the traditional way. Celebrating

festivities like that would be disappointing because migrants really don’t have any family members

with them. Along with Eid, they had to celebrate New Year’s Eve separate from their families and

sending postcards to each other was a compassionate way to remember one another. xviii
 “Ferda, in your letter that you wrote for me you reproached

me for not writing enough letters to you. You are right, I

know but writing letters take too much time. You think that I

forgot about you. That is not right. Absolutely no. I think

about you every second, there is not a moment where I

don’t think about you. I missed you so much. You made me

cry when I was reading your letter.”

 Again, my father’s emotions are displayed quite clearly in

his older sister’s letter. My father was lost in the abyss of

aloneness and hearing back from his family not only upset

him but also worried him. These letters were how they
Figure 13 A Letter from Ferda Şahin's Older Sister,
1994. continued their communication. It was how they explained

their problems or the day-to-day things they used to go.

 “Uncle when are you going to come back? I miss you

both so much. Uncle on the 19th of this month, I going

to go next to my Aunt Sümeyya, I will kiss her for you.

What is my aunt doing? I miss her too. I hope you

come back. I love you two so much. Uncle when you

are here your presence is so obvious, your voice, your

steps, the room you slept in, it’s really missed. The

village isn’t the same anymore. It is not the way it

used to be when you were here. We all miss you

dearly.”

Figure 14 A Letter from Ferda Şahin's 12-year-old niece, 1992.

“The hardest part of migration was not knowing what life was going to be like. I left all my family behind. I was

living in a foreign country which I had no information about. I missed my family a lot during my twenty-six

years of living in Australia. I still do miss them a lot. Everyday. It was much difficult at the beginning though.

The only form of communication I had was writing letters to my family. Ringing them really wasn’t an option. It

was too expensive then. It was around two to three dollars per minute of dialling overseas. And only my older

sister had a telephone. So, I couldn’t get in touch with my parents for a long time. I used to write a letter every

week to my parents. But it would take more than three weeks for the letters to be delivered and at times it

would take a month or two to write a letter back. My only motivation and hope were checking the mailbox for

a letter every day. Those letters meant everything to me. It was difficult to visit my family in Turkey, but those

letters made it a bit more bearable. I felt my family’s presence in those letters. I smelt my mother’s smell

through those letters and my father’s determination to stay strong through those letters. Those letters gave me

a sense of purpose to live in Australia with my own family.” xix

i
ii
National Archives of Australia, Muslim Journeys: Turks [website], 2018, <
http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/snapshots/uncommon-lives/muslim-journeys/arrivals.aspx> accessed. 5
October 2018.

iii
Australian Government: Department of Immigration and Citizenship (2014), <
https://www.dss.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/02_2014/turkey.pdf> accessed 5 October 2018.

iv
Australian Government: Department of Home Affairs, Fact Sheet – Overview of Family Stream Migration
[website], < https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/about/corporate/information/fact-sheets/29overview-
family#fsc> accessed. 5 October 2018.

v
Hatice Hurmuz Basarin & Vecihi Basarin, The Turks in Australia: Celebrating Twenty-Five Years Down Under
(Victoria, Australia: Turquoise Publications, 1993), xi.

vi
Work Permit, Australia Celebrates Turkish Migration [website], (2007)
http://workpermit.com/news/australia-celebrates-turkish-migration-20070810 accessed. 5 October 2018.

vii
Peggy Giakoumelos: SBS, Australia Marks 50 years of Turkish Migration [website] (2018), <
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/australia-marks-50-years-of-turkish-migration> accessed 22 October 2018.

viii
More Turkish Migrants, Canberra Times, 12 February 1969, 11.

ix
Hatice Hurmuz Basarin & Vecihi Basarin, The Turks in Australia: Celebrating Twenty-Five Years Down Under
(Victoria, Australia: Turquoise Publications, 1993), 69.

x
Turkey, The Age, 24 July 2005, 1.

xi
Ibid.

xii
Turkish Numbers ‘Not Decided’, Canberra Times, 28 September 1967, 9.

xiii
Ibid.

xiv
Ferda Şahin, ‘Ferda Şahin interviewed by Sky Şahin [sound recording] (2018).

xv
Department of Immigration Canberra A.C.T, Statement on Turkish Migrant Families in Melbourne [news
release], 4 June 1971, Parliament of Australia,
<https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/media/pressrel/HPR04002553/upload_binary/HPR04002553.
pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf#search=%22turkish%20migrants%201970s%22> accessed. 5 Oct. 2018.

xvi
Ferda Şahin, ‘Ferda Şahin interviewed by Sky Şahin [sound recording] (2018).

xvii
Ibid.

xviii
Ibid.

xix
Ibid.
PRIMARY SOURCES:

Abdurrahman & Ayşe Şahin, ‘Postcard’ [postcard to Ferda and Gönül Şahin], 31 Dec. 1993.

Ferda Şahin, ‘Ferda Şahin interviewed by Sky Şahin [sound recording] (2018).

Mücella Yanik, ‘Letter’ [letter to Ferda Şahin], 1992, p.2.

National Archives of Australia: Australian News and Information Bureau, Middle East States Turkey Signing
Australia/Turkish Migration Agreement, A1200: L65408, 1967 (Canberra).

National Archives of Australia: Australian News and Information Bureau, Middle East States Turkey Signing
Australia/Turkish Migration Agreement, A1200: L65405, 1967 (Canberra).

National Archives of Australia: Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA),
Immigration Migrants in Employment Factory Production Turks at Ericsson Pty Ltd, North Coburg, A12111:
1/1971/16/137, 1971 (Canberra).

National Archives of Australia: Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA),
Immigration – Migrants Arrivals In Australia – First Turkish Assisted Passage Migrants Arrive At Sydney,
A12111: 1/1968/4/25, 1968.

Neşe Çelik, ‘Letter’, [letter to Ferda Şahin], 13 Jan. 1992, p.2.

Sümeyya Bayazit, ‘Letter’ [letter to Ferda Şahin], 4 Nov. 1992, para. 1.

SECONDARY SOURCES:

Australian Government: Department of Home Affairs, Fact Sheet – Overview of Family Stream Migration
[website], < https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/about/corporate/information/fact-sheets/29overview-
family#fsc> accessed. 5 October 2018.

Australian Government: Department of Immigration and Citizenship (2014), <

https://www.dss.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/02_2014/turkey.pdf> accessed 5 October 2018.

Basarin H & Basarin V, The Turks in Australia: Celebrating Twenty-Five Years Down Under (Victoria, Australia:
Turquoise Publications, 1993).

Department of Immigration Canberra A.C.T, Statement on Turkish Migrant Families in Melbourne [news
release], 4 June 1971, Parliament of Australia,
<https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/media/pressrel/HPR04002553/upload_binary/HPR04002553.
pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf#search=%22turkish%20migrants%201970s%22> accessed. 5 Oct. 2018.

Giakoumelos P: SBS, Australia Marks 50 years of Turkish Migration [website] (2018), <
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/australia-marks-50-years-of-turkish-migration> accessed 22 October 2018.

More Turkish Migrants, Canberra Times, 12 February 1969.

Turkish Numbers ‘Not Decided’, Canberra Times, 28 September 1967.

Turkey, The Age, 24 July 2005.

Work Permit, Australia Celebrates Turkish Migration [website], (2007) http://workpermit.com/news/australia-

celebrates-turkish-migration-20070810 accessed. 5 October 2018.