The Leaving of Liverpool: Part 1

Two English children - Lily (Christine Tremarco) and Bert (Kevin Jones) meet at the Star of the Sea orphanage in Liverpool. Lily has been placed there by her impoverished mother who needs to get on her feet financially, her pain at being separated is eased when she meets the spritely and nationalistic Bert. Together with the shy, hearing impaired Wilson (David Kaff), the three children decide to fly the flag for the empire and agree to go to Australia, their heads filled with ideas of forming a unified family in a warmer climate. This first part of the miniseries principally traces the fortunes of Wilson and Bert. Separated from Lily on arrival in Australia, they are taken to a religious rural establishment, St Bedes, where the boys are faced with gruelling manual labour, and a lack of mental stimulation or education. Bert is befriended by Brother O’Neill, while Wilson is subject to bullying.

From 1945, 10,000 children such as Lily and Bert were sent to Australia, under a child migration system which saw the removal of 130,000 youngsters from Britain. The program took place until 1967.

This version of events led to some of the migrants coming forward with their stories of abuse and neglect. Dubbed ‘The Forgotten Australians’, an official apology was made to them by Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, in 2009.