Newspaper banner announcing the expected arrival of 40 refugee boats. The banner most likely relates to the article on the front page of the News 25 November 1977, '40 refugee boats battle storms'. Mentioned in the article is Pennington Hostel as a destination for many of the refugees.

In April 1976 the first Vietnamese 'boatpeople' arrived in Darwin seeking political asylum, following the fall of Saigon in April 1975 which ended the Vietnam War. In November and December, boats arrived almost daily. Having fled their own country, many were forced to live in refugee camps in various South-East Asian countries.

In desperation some sought refuge in Australia, travelling vast distances in over-crowded, dangerous boats and enduring extreme conditions at sea, in an attempt to find a new home. Over the next six years, around 2,000 boatpeople arrived in Australia.

Until late 1977 the Fraser Coalition Government had concentrated on encouraging immigration from Britain and Europe. In response to the impact of boatpeople during 1976 and 1977, the Government accepted a significant intake of Vietnamese asylum-seekers from the overseas refugee camps, and worked with countries to the north to hold boats from coming to Australia. By 1981 this particular influx of boatpeople had ceased.