By NICOLE VALICEK
ON SUNDAY Hobsons Bay stopped to remember the journey and lives of more than 4000 orphan girls from Irish workhouses to Australia in the mid 19th century.
Commemoration Day for the Great Famine and the Earl Grey Scheme Irish Famine Orphans was held at Famine Rock.
The significant heritage of the day was marked by the unveiling of the new Irish Famine Orphan Bay Trail Marker by Member for Williamstown Wade Noonan and Hobsons Bay Mayor Sandra Wilson.
Debra Vaughan, who runs the Irish Famine Orphan Heritage group, has organised the event for the past four years.
Ms Vaughan is a genealogist and writer who helps people tell their stories and research their ancestors.
“If you don’t know where you come from you don’t know where you’re going,” she said.
Ms Vaughan is also the great, great granddaughter of a famine orphan named Sarah (O’Malley) Smith, whose picture is featured on the marker.
“These teenagers were the refugees of their day, so their experiences are still very current,” Ms Vaughan said.
“In spite of harrowing experiences, they endured and in the main prospered.”
Ms Vaughan said she was moved to discover Famine Rock on her walk along The Strand in Williamstown five years ago and the strength of the thread of Irish heritage in the community.
“Here was this direct connection with people who have been meeting there since 1998 to honour this tragedy played out in my own family.”
Ms Vaughan said the day was about connecting, exploring heritage and sharing stories.
“It’s a sacred ceremony expressed in a secular way,” she said.
“It’s beyond boundaries, we’re meeting to grieve this calamity which led to long-term success and to celebrate the courage and gallantry of the human spirit.”
