The first steps of new Australians from Ukraine to Terra Australis (late 1940 – first half of the 1950s)

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to analyze the social and professional adaptation of new Australians from Ukraine in the late 1940 – first half of the 1950s. Research methods: analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, methods of bibliographic and archival heuristics, problem-chronological, comparative-historical. Main results. The social adaptation of new Australians from Ukraine in the late 1940 – first half of the 1950s was not easy. They faced the following problems: tropical continental dry climate; dispersal of immigrants throughout Australia; the absence of the old Ukrainian emigrants, and accordingly – organized Ukrainian life; they had to rely only on their own forces; for the older generation, the language barrier was especially tangible; national cuisine of Australians, in which an important place was occupied by lamb dishes. At the same time, adequate wages and low prices for essential goods allowed migrants to improve their financial situation and even build their own housing after poor years in Europe. Professional adaptation was not easy either. It seemed especially difficult for people with higher education. They had to work mainly in construction and in the service sector. After the end of the two-year contract, not everyone was able to find a job in their specialty. It is not surprising that some of the new Australians, primarily those with higher education, after some time moved from Australia to the United States and Canada. Australian government policies aimed at quick assimilation of new Australians from Ukraine failed. Practical significance. It is recommended for use in training courses and generalizing works on the history of Ukraine. Originality. Features of social and professional adaptation of new Australians from Ukraine in the post-war years are characterized. Scientific novelty. The social and professional adaptation of new Australians from Ukraine in the late of 1940 – the first half of the 1950s is characterized for the first time. Type of article: descriptive.