What factors best explain the attraction of St. Kilda to Central European immigrants before 1950?
St. Kilda refers to a suburb in Melbourne area in Australia. This region was named after a lady who resided at the beach. This region became the most liked suburb by the elites in Melbourne mainly due to the fact that palatial mansions were constructed alongside the waterfront and the hills. Before 1950 the housing facilities were at a very low cost which attracted a larger segment of the Central European immigrants in order to have proper and adequate access to housing and accommodation facilities at the lowest possible cost. This region contains the best islands of Scotland which are attractive to the people in relation to the recreational facilities as well as aesthetic value. One of the largest Island is Hirta which is characterized by the highest sea cliffs. The other Islands like Soya, Dun and Boreray were mainly used for sea bird hunting and grazing. This place also attracted people who were engaged in the hunting and gathering activities as well as search for food and water services.
This region is therefore a rich area with respect to the source of food. An example of the food sources is the Yarra River in Melbourne which provided food and water to the immigrants making their lives suitable especially for the refugees from Central Europe. The settlers from Europe used this river for agricultural activities as well as the source of water for domestic consumption (Oxley, 1996:24). This river was also used for transport activities as well as for fishing activities.
This region also attracted immigrants from Central Europe in order to engage in rearing of ship in Australia. The land was found very suitable for sheep keeping as well as other farming activities. This therefore attracted many immigrants before 1850 in order to participate in such agricultural activities like rearing sheep.
This region of Australia was very rich in recreational facilities like beaches and wildlife thereby the need for people to migrate to Australia in order to enjoy the recreational facilities and activities especially during summer. These activities contributed largely to the migration of people from Central Europe to Australia. The boat and camping activities in Australia therefore attracted many people from Central Europe in order to enjoy such facilities (Oxley, 1996:33).
The other force of attraction to St. Kilda is the presence of religious facilities like churches and parish at this place. This place is characterized by the presence of many church structures. The culture of worship and religion thereby influenced many people to migrate to Australia in search of such churches and places of worship. The issues relating to missionary movements and activities have also contributed to such migration from Central Europe to Australia.
The aspects relating to the Gold rush were also responsible for the migration of people from Central Europe to St. Kilda in Australia. Many people migrated into Australia in order to conduct commercial activities mainly due to the influence of the gold rush in Australia. The commercial activities in St. Kilda therefore attracted many foreigners in order to trade in that region (Millington, 2011:18).
The migration to this region in Australia can also be attributed to the nature of education facilities. The schools in terms of structures are well developed thereby encouraging an influx of people into this region in order to maximize the availability of diverse education resources and facilities.
What role did megaprojects such as hydroelectricity schemes play in immigrant integration?
Megaprojects such as hydroelectricity schemes played an important role in the integration of immigrants. This was mainly through the employment of immigrants to provide labor in such projects. The interaction of the immigrants at the work place cultivates a spirit of togetherness thereby leading to integration of the immigrants due sharing of the same work place and probably the places where they live. Some of the immigrants got engaged in marital relationships with the other immigrants as well as the indigenous people leading to a diverse culture. The diversity of people led to more appreciation of people from different parts of the world. The aspects relating to various cultures are absorbed while others disappear. The multicultural aspect is therefore a very important issue in facilitating acceptance and integration of the diverse cultures of the immigrants.
These megaprojects were also of great importance in ensuring that the economic status of the immigrants are improved when they are paid to work in such projects. The incomes from such projects in turn helped in boosting the standards of living of the immigrants working for such megaprojects. The workers who were mainly immigrants will gain the purchasing power in the market therefore they are able to interact with the rest of the members of the community in their daily business activities.
The immigrants who lived at the Hydro camps got enough time to interact as well as intermarrying. This led to positive interaction between the immigrants and the residents of such countries which in turn helped in cultivating the spirit of togetherness and teamwork in performance of the projects and their general life activities (Jones, 2001:21). This have therefore enabled interaction and cooperation among the immigrants. The location of immigrants at one location while working for such projects led to peaceful coexistence among them thereby the culture of togetherness and integration was enhanced.
Cultural integration was facilitated by the interaction of immigrants from different and diverse regions leading to a mix of cultures and norms where such people lived. This therefore led to erosion of minor cultures and norms while the dominant cultural aspects were fully absorbed among the people. The people working at such project camps shared their languages leading to diversity in the words used in to communicate between the immigrants. The immigrants learnt different languages and that acted as the means of integrations among the people. The diversity of language was therefore a very crucial tool in boosting the relations among the immigrants through communication.
In conclusion the Megaprojects have played a crucial role in enhancing and boosting the integrations of the immigrants who work at such project camps. These projects are of essence in that when the immigrants participate in such projects they end up interacting by sharing the same work place as well as their homes in form of project camps. These interactions are also facilitated through cultural interaction among immigrants from different parts of the world. The diversity of languages also enhance interaction as the immigrants try to learn each other’s language. The labor relations between employees or immigrants at the project camps also plays a role boosting the integrations of immigrants. The way the immigrants interact at the camps therefore have an impact on the integration of immigrants.
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