Child migrant welcomes travel fund

A Dunedin man, one of hundreds sent to New Zealand from the United Kingdom under a notorious child migrant scheme, said he would "definitely" consider using a new fund designed to help reunite migrants with their families.

The funding covered the practical costs of travel, and was available to any child migrant sent under school-leaving age from Great Britain and Northern Ireland to countries including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Zimbabwe, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The scheme operated from the late 1800s through to 1970, with some 130,000 mostly poor or orphaned children aged between 7 and 14 sent to British Commonwealth countries.

It is thought between 7000 and 10,000 children were sent to Australia over 20 years from 1947, and many were brought up in institutions, by farmers or treated as child slaves.

Some children were taken from poor families and told they were orphans, while their parents believed that they were headed to a better life.

John McGrory, of Green Island, was one of 549 children sent to New Zealand following World War 2.

In February, then UK prime minister Gordon Brown issued an official apology for the child resettlement programme, and foreshadowed the 6 million ($NZ12.6 million) Family Restoration Fund which had been announced this week.

Mr McGrory was one of three New Zealanders selected to fly to London as guests of the British Government to hear the apology.

He said last night he had kept in touch with his parents, who separated when he was a baby.

But he was keen to get in touch with his father's sister's family, although he did not know where they were, and his stepsister.

"Oh yes," he said last night of using the fund, "I would love to."

Mr McGrory said Mr Brown had mentioned the scheme when he had travelled to the United Kingdom, so he was aware it was coming.

He was 13 when he was sent to Dunedin, and had a happy life with his foster parents, unlike many others who faced abuse.

david.loughrey@odt.co.nz