How quick we are to polarise on a subject that challenges our morality. And how quick we are to forget.

This weekend is the celebration of the 60th anniversary of a remarkable engineering feat, the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme. It is a feat that would never have been accomplished if not for the efforts of immigrants. Their stories and their contribution to Australian life have been lauded and owned by the Australian psyche.

We love a good underdog story. We love to hear of those who bravely took off into the unknown, to better their chances in life, to seek fortune, to escape persecution, or to simply lick their wounds after the horrors of war. We love to think we are the lucky country, magnanimous to those less fortunate. We love to look back on the history of our neighbouring Cooma, which became an international melting pot of such brave souls. A town which, many have said, was the first to represent a multicultural Australia, its streets bulging with new sounds, foods and traditions.

Indeed, across the mountains, pockets of people spilled out to make their homes in places like Adaminaby, which proudly continues to celebrate its role in a fascinating period of Australian history.

Some 100,000 workers came to help Australia build one of its biggest national projects. And their cultural legacy remains with us still.

So what has changed?

It seems people desperate to escape a war-torn country are only welcome if invited, or if we need them.

For more, pick up a copy of today's Canberra Times