The Portal December 2014 | Page 4

THE P RTAL December 2014 Joanna Bogle tells us about her new book Caroline Chisholm, the Australian pioneer heroine, mentioned in the November Portal, was a remarkable woman and someone of whom Britain should be very proud. The Emigrants’ Friend Auntie Jo a n More about Caroline Chisholm Page 4 na the soil (she She is honoured in Northampton where there was a farmer’s is a large Catholic secondary school named after d a u g h t e r ) , her, and in London where a blue plaque marks her published a recipe book based on her own experiences house in Charlton Terrace, Islington. Known as “The of bush cooking, was a superb rider, and had the Emigrants’ Friend” she was a well known figure in the unusual gift of being able to find water in dry places Britain of the 1860s, a friend of Charles Dickens and hugely important in Australia. a hard-working and large-hearted leader of a great campaign helping many impoverished families find proud to be descendants On returning to Britain, Caroline worked to help new hope and new homes in Australia. A Catholic, she had close links with St John’s church in Islington people who wanted to emigrate. Often, a father would go ahead to Australia as a “bounty migrant” to find where the family worshipped every Sunday. work, but not know how to send for his wife and Caroline and her husband Archibald had gone to children - Caroline helped to reunite such families, Australia from India where he was serving with the chartered a ship, and got them safely on their way, and Madras Infantry, and while they settled comfortably there are families in Australia today who are proud to with military friends, she quickly realised that there be descendants of “Mrs Chisholm’s children”. was much misery and distress in what was at that time The Chisholms also established a fund through a rather grim colony where many inhabitants had originally arrived as convicts. But free settlers were which families could save money - often only a penny arriving from England and Ireland, and there could be a week - towards the fare to Australia, and be helped a bright future if only people were prepared to work by a loan, which they would then pay back after having settled in Australia and made good. There were many, together and help. many such settlers whose stories were then read aloud the matchmaker at “Mrs Chisholm’s meetings” in Islington and who in Caroline’s first projects were for the young women turn were glad to help others. who arrived from Britain seeking work, and often seeking a husband or fiancé who had been sent out The Chisholm home in Islington had a room fitted as a convict. They had nowhere to live and were out as a ship, to show people how to cope with the often forced into immorality simply to survive. After long journey, and her meetings included practical some struggles with bureaucracy, she succeeded in information on what to do on arrival, and life on an obtaining use of an old barracks which she turned into Australian farm. a welcoming centre and home - and from where she ran a successful job agency, placing girls with families Caroline and Archibald Chisholm are buried in who were glad to have an extra pair of hands to help the Billings Road Cemetery in Northampton. She is with children and cooking and housework. a figure who unites Britain and Australia, a convert to the Catholic Church, a patriot, a loving wife and Things began to thrive, and a particular joy was mother, and someone who knew about coping with the number of weddings - she became well known hardship and overcoming problems, and had a great as a matchmaker and at one stage noted that she had trust in God. A good patron for the Ordinariate! received 51 pieces of wedding-cake from happy brides. She led wagon-trains out to new settlements, carried Caroline Chisholm, The Emigrants’ Friend, out a detailed survey of which crops were best suited to is published by Gracewing, £9