The little known story of the involvement of British philanthropic organisations in the migration of over 100,000 children between 1869 and 1939 is graphically brought to life by the Golden Bridge, a multimedia exhibition on the theme of Victorian age child migration from Scotland to Canada.
Although described in the language of the Victorian era as ‘orphans, waifs and strays’, around two-thirds of the children had at least one surviving parent and most were from families experiencing extreme poverty. On arrival in Canada, the younger children were adopted, the older children committed as indentured labourers. The Scottish philanthropist William Quarrier (1829-1903) through his Orphan Homes of Scotland was involved in the migration of 7,000 of these ‘Home Children’.
The Internet-based multimedia exhibition was created by the Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (IRISS).
It was inspired by an earlier Heatherbank Museum of Social Work exhibition held in Glasgow Caledonian University during the summer of 2001. The new Golden Bridge project recreates the original exhibition with the addition of compelling multimedia content including film of Canadian citizens reflecting on their migration from the Orphan Homes of Scotland in the 1920s. Historical photographs and annual reports from the archives of Quarriers social care organisation were digitally preserved and displayed as part of the project.
Fred Wardle, of Quarriers Canadian Family, said “By creating the Golden Bridge website IRISS has rendered a great service to Quarriers and to the families of Scottish child immigrants. These ‘little immigrants’ from Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom made a vital contribution to building the Canadian nation. Their stories are full of heroism and heartache. Their experiences deserve to be remembered and the online exhibition will help to keep their memory alive.” Fred is the son of home child, Catherine McCallum.
“For a long time Quarriers has been aware of the value of the historical documents and images held in our archive.” said Dr. Phil Robinson (Chief Executive of Quarriers). “We were delighted to be able to work with IRISS to ensure these cultural heritage materials are preserved and made accessible to researchers and the public. The Golden Bridge story represents a significant chapter in the social history of Scotland and Canada, and in the ongoing story of population migration.”
Professor Bryan Williams, (Chief Executive of IRISS) said, “The main thrust of the work of IRISS is very future-oriented and about ways of modernising and innovating social services practice and learning. With this project our learning technology team were able to apply the technologies of today, to capture and preserve important messages for contemporary child care practice. We may no longer migrate children abroad, but managing child and family issues associated with inward migration is very much part of the contemporary social services landscape. This story of the past resonates strongly with issues today.”
The project was a collaboration between IRISS, Quarriers and Glasgow Caledonian University . It includes contributions from Alastair Ramage, former curator of the Heatherbank Museum of Social Work ; Melanie King of Quarriers Canadian Family and Paul Hunt for the use of selected excerpts from his oral history documentary that captured the story of Canadian citizens who migrated to Canada as Scottish orphans in the 1920's.
An article describing the process of the creation of the virtual Golden Bridge exhibition has been published in the University of Calgary journal Currents: new scholarship in the human services .
Visit the Golden Bridge: http://www.iriss.ac.uk/goldenbridge