Bonegilla was a point of reception and temporary accommodation for approximately 320,000 post-war refugees and assisted migrants to Australia from 1947 to 1971. Histories of Controversy: The Bonegilla Migrant Centre reveals the centre's history to be one of containment, control, deprivation and political discontent.

Alexandra Dellios was awarded her PhD by The University of Melbourne in March 2015. She has published on child migrants, commemoration and heritage, and post-war migration. She lectures in Australian studies and migrant history at The University of Melbourne. She is currently researching post-war migrant accommodation and standards of care, as well as heritage-making practices within migrant communities and the discursive interactions between grassroots groups and official heritage.