Emigrants

I was in Dunedin for the day - the most Scottish city in New Zealand where the very street names like Moray Place and Princes Street speak of home.

I helped launch the city's bid to be a UNESCO City of Literature, supported by the world's first such City, Edinburgh. I met the Vice Chancellor of the University of Otago and gave a lecture in their Centre for Scottish & Irish Studies. I also launched a new book about Scottish migration to New Zealand.

But my first visit was to the wonderful Emigrants Museum established over a century ago. By happy coincidence when I was in the part of the museum which re-creates the conditions of an emigrant ship from Scotland ( a voyage of up to 3 months) I met a group of local children from Fairfield school who were dressed up as Scots emigrants as part of their project on their history and heritage.

They happily let me take their picture - so thanks !