Welsh Australians

Welsh-Australian
Awstraliad-Cymreig

Notable Welsh Australians: Julia Gillard (top left) . Billy Hughes (bottom left) . Rolf Harris (top right). Kylie Minogue (bottom right)
Languages
English and Welsh
Religion
Christianity (mostly Anglicanism and Presbyterianism)
Related ethnic groups
Welsh, Welsh Argentine, Welsh American, Welsh Canadian

Welsh Australians are citizens of Australia whose ancestry originates in the northwest European nation of Wales (which is part of the United Kingdom).

Number of Welsh Australians

According to the 2006 Australian census 25,317 Australian residents were born in Wales, while 113,242 (0.44%) claimed Welsh ancestry, either alone or with another ancestry.

The name Jones, which is often considered distinctively Welsh, is one of most-common surnames in Australia, accounting for over 1% of Australians, which suggests a higher rate of Welsh ancestry than indicated by self-identification.

A 1996 study gives the total ethnic strength of Welsh Australians as 243,400. This is made up by 44,100 of un-mixed origin and 683,700 of mixed origin. This would make the Welsh the fifth largest Anglo-Celtic group in Australia after the English, Irish Scottish and Cornish.

Welsh emigration to Australia

It is believed that the eastern coast of Australia reminded Captain James Cook of the coast of South Wales (especially the Vale of Glamorgan coast, which he knew), hence the name he gave to it, "New South Wales". The first European colony in Australia was in New South Wales, beginning with the First Fleet of 1788. Welsh people numbered amongst these first settlers, and continued to arrive in the new colony through the British policy of penal transportation that was implemented for many criminal acts.

A gold rush began in Australia in the early 1850s, and the Eureka Stockade rebellion in 1854 was an early expression of nationalist sentiment. Amongst its leaders was the Welsh-born Chartist John Basson Humffray, one of a significant group of immigrants that came over from Wales at this time.

Mass emigration from Wales to Australia got under way in the early 20th century with New South Wales and Victoria being particularly popular destinations. It is also said that around 20% of the population of New South Wales are at least partly Welsh descented. In the early twentieth-century most of the Welsh settlers were farmers, but later on there was emigration by coal miners to coalfields.

List of notable Welsh-Australians

name	born in - Died	Notable for	Connection with Australia	Connection with Wales
James Atkin, Baron Atkin of Aberdovey (also known as Lord Atkin)	1867–1944	lawyer and judge	born in Australia	grew up in Wales from age 4; always thought of himself as Welsh
John Beard	1943–	artist	lives in Australia	born in Wales
Julia Gillard	1961–	Prime Minister of Australia	has lived in Australia since she was five years old	born in Wales
Rolf Harris	1930–	entertainer	born in Australia	Welsh parents
Billy Hughes	1862–1952	Prime Minister of Australia	migrated to Australia 1884	Welsh parents
Dannii Minogue	1971–	singer and entertainer	born in Australia	mother born in Wales
John McCarthy	1967–	Australian rules footballer	migrated to Australia	born in Wales
Kylie Minogue	1968–	singer and actress	born in Australia	mother born in Wales
Alf Morgans	1850–1933	Premier of Western Australia	moved to Australia in 1896	born in Wales
Naomi Watts	1968–	actress	moved to Australia when she was 15; Australian grandmother	lived in Wales between the ages of seven and 14; mother's parents Welsh
Rhys Williams	1988–	professional association football (soccer) player	born in and grew up in Australia; member of the Australian team (Socceroos) in 2009–2010	Welsh grandparents on his father's side; played for the Welsh under 21 team; Williams was also eligible to play for England or India, the countries in which his parents were born.

See also

• Welsh Americans

Further reading

• Lloyd, Lewis. (1988) Australians from Wales Caernarfon: Gwynedd Archives. ISBN 0901337471