Unfortunately, Brian’s blog was too blinkered to notice a more chilling comparison between present times and the tragic ones of Mary’s departure from Ireland.
The current population of the world has doubled in the 44 years since 1968; The population of Ireland had taken sixty years to double since 1790, and that, in spite of recurring famines prior to “The Great Hunger”.
What hope is there for the world, for Australia in particular, when nothing has been learned from those days of Priestly subjugation of women, enslaving them to pregnancies throughout their fertile lives; to numbers of children they could scarcely feed let alone adequately foster - and eventual massive tragedy for all.
The current world still suffers from the antediluvian ravings from the Vatican, from mad Mullahs, from the Deep South Bible Belts. And , just as much, from those who are determined not to see- to concentrate wholly on the ugly vision on their doorstep; and denigrate those whose attention encompasses the wider scene.

Some of my forbears made that same desperate six month or more journey from Ireland and Scotland.
Others were forced to migrate as a consequence of the Great famine.
My maternal great Grandmother, also named Mary, spent 10 years sewing shirts, dawn to dusk, in a hell hole English workhouse, just to muster the one-way fare to the other side of the world.
The transportation and conditions aboard ship were as described.
Very few intending uninvited guests would undertake that journey, unless in iron chains?
Indeed, many of them find sanctuary far removed from these shores.
At least when Mary sailed, we had absolute control of who came and the means, timing and method of their passage or transportation; and, at a time when we desperately needed new migrants to develop, what was still a harsh and very foreign land!
Many didn't make it, but perished at sea!
And yes, we made many mistakes along the way, and parts of that history of settlement is both painful and shameful!
However, we none of us alive today, participated or can in any way be held to account or pay for, the activities of ancestors!
We cannot go back and change the past!
And even if we could would we?
Particularly if that change simply eliminated our own historical lineage?
All that said and set aside, if I had a choice between forged documentation and a visitor's visa, followed by a relatively short reasonably safe and comfortable plane journey?
I would prefer that option for both myself and any family members; and indeed, for far less cost than I would likely need to shell out for passage in a leaky very unsafe boat, to a criminal cartel, that simply focuses on maximised profits, rather than any element of passenger safety.
Rhrosty.

Yes Mary received sweet FA support when she arrived, which is as it should be.

If all the current boat people wanted was a chance to do it for themselves I would have no complaint. If they were prepared to work hard enough to make their own way, or starve, I would welcome them as the sort of people that would help build Oz.

While we have to take the homes of other ozzies, & the food out of their mouths to support this invading horde, I want then stopped.

Post WW11 genuine refugees were given a tin shed to sleep in, & food for a little while. Otherwise it was sink or swim.

Reintroduce a similar scheme today, & watch the boat people dwindle to a trickle. We would get only the genuine, who would be no problem.

There is no such thing as an illegal immigrant in Australian law and there has not been for 20 years when the Parliament enshrined the refugee convention into the migration act and granted entry without offence for those who seek asylum under the convention.

To claim they are illegals is just plain wrong and as ugly as the rest of the tripe constantly peddled.

Refugees are not destroying any documents, almost every refugee who arrives here can have their ID sent here within 2 weeks of their arrival and many just don't have any because they are never registered at birth in places like Afghanistan and Pakistan.

I do wish the uglies who infest these sorts of blogs would learn some facts and have an empathy transplant before they spew out their hate.

On the latest figures for example 94% of Afghans are accepted before they ever have a court case.

And now that Pakistan is kicking out 3 million of them we will certainly have to accept them won't we?

...Well Marilyn Shepherd how lucky are you; if I was to state what I really think about refos, illegals and Asians I'd be dismissed from this thread! Cheers!

Well Diver, racism is pretty ugly.