SS Asturias

My father - Robert Nicholls - came from the UK to Australia on board the Asturias in 1950, when he was 17 years old as part of the "Big Brother Movement".

He arrived in Melbourne and was taken, with his friend Stan Martin, to Tasmania where they worked on farms. In winter it was bitterly cold and a shock to the two young men who had expected endless sunshine. Their first employer treated them harshly - as cheap labour - but they eventually found other work in the timber mills, driving huge logging trucks.

My father and his friend both came back to Melbourne in the early 1950s where they settled and raised their families. Dad and Stan remained good friends. Neither one ever travelled back to the UK. Sadly, Dad passed away recently at 81 but a little piece of him lives on through this website - because of his big journey in 1950 that started it all.

This site was created because I remember the excitement when we found the passenger list bearing his name. Good luck in your own search. Your feedback is appreciated.

Vicki Doherty, Melbourne, Aus. 2014

These Little Brothers arrived in Hobart on 8 November 1949 to join Big Brothers on farms around the State.

Between 1949 and 1964, 161 came to Tasmania.

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