Repatriation of Postwar Migrants from Australia to the Soviet Union : the Australian View

The aftermath of the Second World War marked a radical new moment in the history of migration. For the millions of refugees stranded in Europe, China and Africa, it offered the possibility of mobility to the 'new world' of the West; for countries like Australia that accepted them, it marked the beginning of a radical reimagining of its identity as an immigrant nation. For the next few decades, Australia was transformed by waves of migrants and refugees. However, two of the five million who came between 1947 and 1985 later left. When Migrants Fail to Stay examines why this happened. This innovative collection of essays explores a distinctive form of departure, and its importance in shaping and defining the reordering of societies after World War II. Esteemed historians Ruth Balint, Joy Damousi, and Sheila Fitzpatrick lead a cast of emerging and established scholars to probe this overlooked phenomenon. In doing so, this book enhances our understanding of the migration and its history.

Chapter: When Natalia Stashevska arrived at Sydney’s Mascot airport on November 20, 1950, there was an officer of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) not far behind her. He noted that she carried only light luggage and was in the company of an unknown man, who farewelled her in Russian and kissed her as she boarded the aircraft. Security men had also covertly checked her bags but found nothing suspicious. Natalia was flying to Hong Kong, where MI5 would pick up her trail, and then on to Shanghai, but her ultimate destination was the Soviet Union. She was leaving Australia for good, trading life under Western capitalism for Soviet Communism, and there would be security officers watching her each step of the way.