Hoshbulduk! A Turkish Migration Story - Documentary

In Turkish culture when you enter a home the host will say Hoshgeldin (welcome) and the guest will reply Hoshbulduk (we feel welcomed).

For so many Turkish migrants coming to Australia in the late 60’s and early 70’s, hospitality was the cornerstone of one’s cultural identity and when they discovered it here in Australia, they felt reassured.

Bill Snedden, the Immigration minister at the time, signed the Assisted Passage Scheme agreement with Turkey in 1968 and thousands of Turks saw an opportunity to come to Australia.Most never intended to stay permanently and many were from poor families from villages in Turkey who wanted to break out of the poverty cycle and return.But 54 years on and they are still here, calling Australia home and along with their children and grandchildren.

Of the 14,192 Turks who arrived between 1968 and 1975 many came to the realisation, that while there was plenty of work, their income was just enough to maintain their growing families; paying for rent, expenses, buying a car and furniture and feeding and educating their children.As their families grew their dreams of returning to Turkey faded.

This film will capture the stories of the first Turkish migrant-workers and will shed light on the difficulties of migration during a time, when the White Australia Policy was still a reality and most Australians hailed from Anglo-Celtic ancestry.

It will share the many tales of those early pioneers and explore how they have grown into a strong, robust and proud Victorian community.The film will cover second and third generations in both metropolitan and regional areas of Victoria as well as Cypriot and Western Thrace Turks and draw the link between the first and ensuing generations.