Guest Speaker:
Patrick Dodd
Join us in Gordon Library Meeting Room 1 at 2 pm on Saturday 2nd April 2022 when Patrick Dodd presents 'The Dreadnought Boys'
Patrick Dodd will speak on 'The Dreadnought Boys' – a fascinating and also horrifying story of child and youth migration to Australia.
There were numerous schemes to bring out children and young people to Australia starting in mid-Victorian times. The Dreadnought Scheme was a program designed to promote and assist the migration of British youths willing to become farm workers in Australia. Funds which had been raised by public subscription for the purchase of a battleship were diverted to establish the scheme, when the Commonwealth instead decided to build an Australian Navy.
On arrival in Australia, the teenage boys were assigned to a state government farm for three months of agricultural training, after which the boys could be sent to work on any farm in the state.
Ku-ring-gai Historical Society member Patrick Dodd will speak about these schemes and the experiences of his late father-in-law, David Hogg, who was a Dreadnought Boy; as well as his own experiences as a ‘Ten Pound Pom’. It’s bound to stimulate plenty of discussion!
PLEASE NOTE: The election of the Family History Group Committee will also be held at this meeting. The nomination form has been distributed to members at the same time as the March Newsletter.
As always, please keep an eye on our website in case of any last-minute changes.
The venue is Gordon Library Meeting Room No. 1, in the Old Gordon Public School, which adjoins the Gordon Library, 799 Pacific Highway, Gordon (corner Pacific Highway and Park Avenue).
It’s just a 5-minute walk from Gordon Station.
For a map and parking information, see our Contact page.
