Money-wise it is worth almost nothing, but historically, as a potent symbol of Australia's "populate or perish" policy after World War II, it's priceless.

The unique gift is an unnamed stuffed toy koala seven decades old with its arm and leg detached, but otherwise well preserved.

It was donated to Greta Museum on August 15 by the former Maira Kalnins, some 71 years almost to the day after she received it as a special gift onboard a migrant ship in Western Australia, amid controversy, in 1949.

The ship's captain had initially refused to divert from a voyage to Newcastle to the port of Fremantle for a costly stopover, all for an unexpected VIP to hold a big ceremony on the ship's top deck.

"My brother and I were both given presents. We didn't really understand why. The toy koala gift I was given confused me. It wasn't soft and cuddly like my hessian brown bear I'd left behind," she says.

"People since then seem surprised how good it still seems, even though my koala needs a hip and arm replacement," she jokes.

"I was told once it couldn't be fixed, but I have to thank my sister for its condition. I was later overseas for 11 years and I gave the koala to her. She put the toy in the freezer to help preserve it, to get rid of any bugs, I was told.

"I was frightened when I learned that. I said, 'no, all the fur will have fallen out', but it hasn't," she smiles.

Well, why all the fuss about this furry toy animal?

A similar historic toy koala already exists as a prized possession of the Australian Museum of Australian Democracy at old Parliament House, Canberra. This doll, nicknamed Kookie, was donated by Mrs Isobel Smith, the former Isobel Saxelby in 2017. She received it as a six-year-old at a formal ceremony in Melbourne on August 25, 1949.

The well-publicised ceremony was to welcome Isobel as the 100,000th British "ten-pound-Pom" settling in Australia with her family.

But it wasn't actually the first such gift presented to a new arrival. The original, sometimes forgotten welcome ceremony occurred 13 days before in Fremantle, Western Australia, when the migrant ship Fairsea made its sudden, unscheduled stopover to allow the Minister for Immigration Arthur Calwell to come onboard.

Soon after, Calwell greeted young Maira Kalnins, of Latvia, with a toy koala and a talking doll at a ceremony to celebrate her being the 50,000th migrant to arrive (with her family) under a displaced persons program.

Maira (now Ms Kluina) had to borrow a dress and learn a few phrases in English for the momentous occasion. She was also a little bewildered by all the special attention from her new, adopted country.

A few days later, on August 19, the MV Fairsea docked in Newcastle Harbour. The ship was the first lot of 'New Australian' migrants (almost 1900 passengers of 10 nationalities) to be brought directly from war-torn Europe to Newcastle.

The Kalnins and all the others were sent by steam train to Greta Migrant Camp where they spent the next four years.

The Kalnins never forgot Greta, especially her brother Inars, who grew up to become a successful Sydney surgeon and later operated a tourist business and vineyard at Pokolbin.

Last Saturday, Maira, Inars and their sister Sandra revisited Greta township where Maira presented her 71-year-old koala toy to Greta Museum where it will be permanently on public display.

"It's the right place for it to be," she said after the presentation ceremony.

Author Alek Schulha came across Maira's story during eight years of research for his recently published history of Greta Migrant Camp (1939-1960).

For his huge new book, entitled Beneath the Shadows of Mount Molly Morgan, Schulha interviewed 130 former camp residents for a "warts and all" tale.

"Some of these stories have been untold for 70 years. And it's all in their own words with no spin," Schulha says. "I've opened up some bottled-up memories.

"While many former camp residents have great memories as kids there, my book also records personal experiences of domestic violence, child abuse, death, sadness, joy, peeping toms, sly grog dealers, stealing and racial tension between various nationalities.

"And I've only scratched the surface of the story."

Schulha also documents how Greta camp (a former WWII army base) took in 100,000 migrants of 18 nationalities over its tumultuous 11-year lifespan. Schulha himself was born there.

The local historian says that despite Greta being Australia's second largest migrant camp, there's never been a proper memorial to the site - just off Camp Road, about three kilometres from Greta township. But that will soon rectified, with Cessnock City Council giving permission for a monument to be built outside the camp's former main gate. Work will begin shortly.

Schulha says that immigration minister Calwell was seriously grilled in federal Parliament over costs from his controversial visit to Fremantle to welcome Maira Kalnins.

"While there, Calwell also gave Maira's brother Inars, then aged five, a symbolic toy kangaroo and an Australian Rules football, but it was soon nearly lost overboard," Schula says.

The former Greta Migrant Camp is now just a big empty paddock, but it once was a self-contained city, split into two parts. One was called 'Silver City' after the semi-circular corrugated iron huts. These Nissen huts had been invented in 1916 as bomb shelters.

The other part of the camp was called 'Chocolate City' after the creosote-stained walls of the wooden huts.

The site was unpleasantly hot in summer and bitterly cold in winter. There was no running water inside the huts.

More than 450 buildings there, including two cinemas and at least three churches on the plain near the main northern rail line, were later dismantled and sold off.

"Greta camp has a lot of history. Records show 10,000 babies being born there while it existed. And the current Newcastle Jets A-League team has direct links with Greta camp soccer team, known as Greta Australs," Schula says. "Milton Morris, Maitland's longest serving politician, said the support he received from former Greta Camp residents first got him into state politics. Champion Olympic swimmers John and Ilsa Konrad even once lived at Greta Migrant Camp."

Schulha's faith in his long-term writing project has also paid big dividends with his initial print run of 500 books selling out in just five days at $55 each.

Schulha also said that the title of his book was significant. The camp was built on the land of (Maitland's legendary colonial pioneer) Molly Morgan. "The hill on her property is located opposite the camp site. She's supposed to be buried up there in an unmarked grave," Schulha says.

The photo panel: (Clockwise from left) Maira Kalnins with her childhood koala, then (at top) the special koala, author Alek Schulha and (below) Arthur Calwell presents Maira with her welcome gifts back in 1949. Pictures: Lyn and Mike Scanlon