Caroline Chisholm was born in 1808 and died in 1877. She was a kind and caring person. She was born near Northampton, England, daughter of William Jones, a good farmer. At 22 she agreed to marry Captain Archibald Chisholm. He worked for the British East India Company, which sent him to Madras, India in 1832. She joined him a year later. While there she started a school for daughters of European soldiers, teaching them future skills.


In 1838 Captain Archibald Chisholm become ill, while he was recovering the Chisholm's came to Australia which they felt offered a better life for their family, and settled in Sydney in the Emerald Isle in September 1838. But at that time Sydney town was a convict settlement. Mrs Chisholm was shocked to see so many homeless immigrants, especially women. Immigrants had to start all over, but without any money, food and jobs. Many we're living in the streets. Because Caroline was a kind, caring person she could not bare to see all these homeless people.

So she met every immigrant ship and became a familiar figure on the planks of wood. She found positions for immigrant girls and sheltered many of them in her home. In January 18421 she went to the governor and Lady Gipps with a plan for all the poor women and children. Even though they did not agree on this idea they felt sympathy for Charoline and gave her the old immigration barracks for her Female Immigrants' Home. It was quite a big block of land and could fit in ninety-six women. Today she is called the immigrants friend.

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