They were physically and sexually abused and robbed of any decent
chance for a rewarding career or family life: they were child migrants
in the care of the Christian Brothers sent from Malta in the hope of a
better education after WWII
In 1928, Perth-based Maltese priest Fr Raphael Pace urged the
Congregation of the Christian Brothers to include Maltese children in
its emerging migration scheme. The Irish order was especially dedicated
to the evangelisation and education of youth. Negotiations between the
Maltese and Western Australian governments continued through the 1930s
but the first Maltese child migrants did not arrive in Australia until
after World War II. Between 1950 and 1965, 259 boys and 51 girls were
sent to Catholic institutions in Western Australia and South Australia.