Flared jeans, 1970s, old suitcase from Pratunam markets in Bangkok and camera, courtesy Plack Sirisatien, Photograph Ed Giles.
Migration Experiences
Australia is a land of cultural diversity. A significant part of the Australian population have cultural origins in other countries. Each group brings cultural layers to the fabric of Australian society. Migrant communities maintain or adapt their cultural traditions in unique ways. Some elements of the migrant culture remain distinct. Others become integrated into fellow Australians' lives.
It is impossible to imagine Sydney without Thai restaurants or Parramatta without the annual Loy Krathong festival. There are also spaces within the city that are distinctly Thai - the temples at Stanmore, Annandale, Bundanoon, Wiseman's Ferry and Leumeah, 'Thaitown' in the city centre and the Buddharangsee Thai Community School at Stanmore. Thai community gatherings and spaces in Sydney keep cultural practices alive.
The Thai community was not always so visible. The first Thai migrants were quite isolated, adapting to life in Australia on their own. The majority of Thai migrants arrived in the last 20 years. The current Thai-born population in Australia is about 20,000. About half of those people live in NSW, predominantly in Sydney. This exhibition tells the story of these early migrants and how they struggled and worked to create the confident community that we know today.