This study investigates the motives for the establishment of the Fairbridge child migration scheme, examines its history in Australia and Canada, and outlines the experiences of many of the former child migrants.

Valerie Green and Lynn Gordon-Findlay have put their ears to the walls of Vancouver Island's historic homes and transcribed the whispered secrets of bygone days when folk of every description left their echoes in the buildings where they lived, worked, played, and died. If the walls of a venerable mansion could speak, what stories would it tell? How about that rustic shack farther down the road? In her first book, If These Walls Could Talk,Valerie Green explored 50 heritage homes in the Greater Victoria area. In this second volume, she ranges further afield, covering Greater Victoria and Southern Vancouver Island, Duncan and the Cowichan Valley, Nanaimo, Port Alberni, Parksville, Qualicum Beach, Courtney and District, and Campbell River and the North Island, including homes in Telegraph Cove and Port McNeill. Each home tells of a way of life long past, of people who dwelt within its walls, when and how it was built, or how it is historically significant. Once again, Valerie's text is complemented by architectural artist Lynn Gordon-Findlay's exquisite drawings.

Australia is one of the most ethnically diverse societies in the world today. From its ancient indigenous origins to British colonisation followed by waves of European then international migration in the twentieth century, the island continent is home to people from all over the globe. Each new wave of settlers has had a profound impact on Australian society and culture. The Australian People documents the dramatic history of Australian settlement and describes the rich ethnic and cultural inheritance of the nation through the contributions of its people. It is one of the largest reference works of its kind, with approximately 250 expert contributors and almost one million words. Illustrated in colour and black and white, the book is both a comprehensive encyclopedia and a survey of the controversial debates about citizenship and multiculturalism now that Australia has attained the centenary of its federation.

In 1959 David Hill's mother - a poor single parent living in Sussex - reluctantly decided to send her sons to Fairbridge Farm School in Australia where, she was led to believe, they would have a good education and a better life. David was lucky - his mother was able to follow him out to Australia - but for most children, the reality was shockingly different. From 1938 to 1974 thousands of parents were persuaded to sign over legal guardianship of their children to Fairbridge to solve the problem of child poverty in Britain while populating the colony. Now many of those children have decided to speak out. Physical and sexual abuse was not uncommon. Loneliness was rife. Food was often inedible. The standard of education was appalling. Here, for the first time, is the story of the lives of the Fairbridge children, from the bizarre luxury of the voyage out to Australia to the harsh reality of the first days there; from the crushing daily routine to stolen moments of freedom and the struggle that defined life after leaving the school. This remarkable book is both a tribute to the children who were betrayed by an ideal that went terribly awry and a fascinating account of an extraordinary episode in British history.