Ping pong Poms
15 July, 2012
Reporter: Peter FitzSimons
Producer: Rebecca Le Tourneau
They come here in their thousands from wet and windy Britain, but every year several thousand people who emigrate to Australia from England make the return journey home.
They're known as 'ping pong Poms' and among their number are the Parkinson family.
Carl Parkinson and his wife Michelle came to Australia after hearing stories from Carl's father who was a Ten Pound Pom.
"I’ve grew up [sic] with Australia as this fantastic place from my father and we always just thought let’s give it a whirl," Carl said.
"My father was a Ten Pound Pom in the sixties so he came to Australia as a bit of an adventure and he ended up staying here, I think it was five years."
But every year since their arrival has been a struggle for the Parkinsons - they find Australia too expensive.
“I always thought the Australian dream of the quarter block of land with the pool and the house probably doesn’t exist," Carl said.
"You know, the clothing over here I don’t find as good quality as in Europe and it’s a lot more expensive as well."
“Australians tend to think that this is the best place on Earth and it can be a bit one-dimensional here."
Ping pong Poms are so intriguing that at the University of London Professor Roger Burrows has forged a career trying to make sense of it.
“There are really just three main reasons why people return. First off all people miss their family," Professor Burrows said.
“The second main reason is that people feel homesick, they feel displaced. They don’t feel that they belong."
"The third reason, and perhaps this is a more important reason than it has been historically, is that people feel that their dreams have not been fulfilled."
One of our most famous immigrants, Leo Sayer, is surprised people choose to return to England.
"I just really worry about what they’re going back to," Sayer said.
"Something in Australia has to be truthful, it touched my heart and something has made me feel that I belong here. So that feeling of belonging is possible to have but you can’t force them.”
Thanks to Rainforest Holiday Village in Nambour for their support.
CONTACT SUNDAY NIGHT
