Prior to 1984, the Horn of Africa experienced a series of significant events. The Derg regime took control in Ethiopia, widespread famine across the region, Somalia joined the Arab League, and many ethnic groups from Eritreans to Oromos were fighting for independence. Millions of people from the Horn were internally displaced, leading many to seek refuge elsewhere. Some of those who arrived in Australia in 1984 initially fled to Sudan, where many still have family. From there, some moved on to Cairo, Egypt, in pursuit of better opportunities and education. Several interviews in the archive reveal that most of the arrivals in 1984 were students. Their journey was made possible through assistance from the Australian embassy in Egypt.

The first flight arrived May 11, 1984 from Cairo to Melbourne including transit stops in Athens, Bangkok, and Sydney carrying the first Black African refugees to arrive in Australia. Once they arrived they stayed at the Enterprise migrant hostel in Springvale before venturing out on their own. This marked a migration pathway that is still used today by many.

Who are Horners?

For the purposes of this project "Horners" refers to people originating from the Horn of Africa, a region in East Africa that includes countries such as Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, and Djibouti. The term is often used to describe individuals with cultural, historical, and familial ties to this area. However within these regions are a rich diverse tapestry of cultures, languages, histories and clans. Beyond the scope of this project depending on social, political and economic contexts, Horners can also also include Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, and other neighbouring countries.

Prior Arrival

There were many Horners who came to Australia before 1984 as migrants or travellers; such as an Oromo scholarship student in the 70s A few Ethiopian men and an Eritrean woman in the 80s, and Somali sailors docking at the ports of Australia as early as the 1800s.

Items within the archive are organised by themes, contributor collections, media types, and key historical events. The catalogue information for each item includes detailed metadata, such as dates, descriptions, contributors, and related contexts to aid your research and exploration.

Privacy & Ethical Considerations

Our materials have been collected, digitised, and preserved following best practices for community archiving. Our work is grounded in ethical access and respectful representation, ensuring that each item is preserved with care and sensitivity. We follow strict permissions and copyright protocols to respect contributors' rights. Images from the archive cannot be duplicated without copyright permission. 

Where are all the Women in the archive?

The collection may include a high representation of men or particular ethnic groups. This is due to the demographic of the refugees when they arrived in 1984. However, some of the women that arrived that wear hijab have asked for their images not to be shown. In this instance we have a description of the image only. Images with these women are bound by restricted access and can only be seen with permission sought through the archivist. This may be a lengthy process. This archive is ongoing and we are still developing ideas on how to rebalance this representation.

Would you like a picture of you removed?

If there is an image of you that is in this archive that you would like removed please contact the archivist and we will remove it as soon as it is possible.

This archive is for education purposes. If researchers, and creatives would like to use any of our items in publications, exhibitions, or other projects, please email the archivist with a permission request. We will follow up with the original contributor. Please allow some time for requests, permission is not always guaranteed.