G'day Philippa,

I was going to suggest Cheer Boys, Cheer, even though it it is a fairly general British song about emigration. (I'm not sure why "The Walrus" thinks it is about Canada in particular ... it was so popular in US that many think of it as a Civil War song ... and it was well known in Australia ... and probably anywhere else a packet ship could deliver an emmigrant).

Anyway, I have a couple of happy immigrant songs collected from H.P.C. 'Duke' Tritton, in Australia, in the 1950s. One of these is The Shores of Botany Bay ... and I'm sure I have submitted it to the DT ... but I could not find it with a lyric search on "Botany Bay". This one has no relation to the 'toorali addity' Botany Bay ... in fact 'Duke' said it relates to The Shores of Amerikay, but I've never seen a version that is close enough to prove it. If it is not in the DT, I will (re-?)post it from home. This includes an extra verse written by Duke about going digging for gold if he doesn't like bricklaying.

Another, another that won't have been posted to the DT is Duke's The Irishman's Song - about a bloke arriving from Ireland, meeting his brother and friends, drinking his cash reserve ... and one of the blokes then pawns his coat for more funds. Eventually the immigrant settles down, gets a job at the gasworks, gets to be foreman - then boss ... and so well off he doesn't drink with his mates in the Public Bar any longer!

There are a few other Australian/Irish songs in the 'happy immigrant' class ... Dennis O'Reilly (which is in the DT) would probably fit ... and there would be a few others set in the goldrush era that should fit your criteria. I'll ponder that between now and when I get back with those I have already promised.

Regards,

Bob Bolton