Death-Defying Destiny Deciders – Part Eight: The Land of Better Chance

In this deeply personal and meticulously researched episode of Forgotten Australia, host Michael Adams traces the journey of his great-grandmother Emma Murtow and her children as they emigrate from England to Western Australia aboard the P&O ship Benalla in 1923. Emma, who claimed to be a war widow despite her husband Peter Murtow being alive, used this fabricated identity to escape a troubled marriage and secure a new life in the 'land of better chance.' The episode explores the broader context of British post-WWI migration, driven by figures like Thomas Sedgwick and supported by the Salvation Army, particularly Brigadier Ruth Tracy, who oversaw the welfare of women and children. Adams uncovers the harsh realities of life aboard the Benalla—overcrowded cabins, poor food, and questionable hygiene—while also revealing the resilience and quiet heroism of migrants like Emma and her daughter Nora, who saved a man from suicide in Sydney during the Great Depression. The narrative weaves family history with national memory, illustrating how personal decisions, often born of desperation and survival, shape entire legacies. The episode is a meditation on identity, survival, and the hidden costs of migration. It reveals how Emma’s lie—her self-erasure of Peter—allowed her children to build new lives, while also exposing the emotional toll of suppressed trauma, domestic violence, and societal stigma. Through archival research, historic newspapers, and Ancestry.com.au records, Adams reconstructs a vivid picture of life in the Western Australian wheat belt and the broader social fabric of early 20th-century Australia. The story culminates in a powerful reflection on how fate, chance, and the choices of one woman—fleeing a broken marriage—ultimately led to the existence of the podcast itself. The episode is both a tribute to forgotten ancestors and a reminder that history is not just made by battles and policies, but by the quiet, courageous acts of ordinary people seeking a better life.