Who was Caroline Chisholm?
Caroline Chisholm was an English humanitarian who helped thousands of migrant women and families settle in colonial New South Wales from the 1840s. She was known as the emigrant's friend.
Chisholm arrived in Sydney in 1838 with her husband, Archibald, an army officer. She was shocked to find many young immigrant women homeless and unemployed, some forced into prostitution.
In 1841 she opened a Female Immigrants' Home in Sydney and personally escorted groups of women to jobs in country areas. She found work for thousands of women and families.
Family Colonization Loan Society
Back in England, she founded the Family Colonization Loan Society in 1849, helping families pay for passage to Australia. She also campaigned for better conditions on emigrant ships.
She later lived in Victoria during the gold rush, setting up shelters for travellers on the road to the goldfields.
Her portrait appeared on the Australian five-dollar note from 1967 until it was replaced by a polymer note in 1992.
Chisholm gathered statements from settlers about their lives in Australia and used them to encourage more families to emigrate. She returned to England in 1866 and died in 1877. Many historians see her as one of the most influential women in nineteenth-century Australia.
Did You Know?
Caroline Chisholm College and many Catholic schools are named in her honour.