Family established. We had been here eight years, having arrived in 1955 from London.
We left London as Ten Pound Poms arriving in Melbourne in March 1955. We travelled by train to my sister Hazel and husband Bill’s home, our ‘sponsors’, who lived in Sale Victoria (as related in my previous blog post ‘1955’).
I got a job immediately as a secretary at the PNG (Postmaster-General). I had to give my notice after 10 days, because Adrian could not get a job as an accountant in Sale. We got a lift to Melbourne, with my sister Hazel’s wonderful In-laws. With their gracious hospitality and help, first we got accommodation in Hawthorn on the weekend, then I got a job as a secretary on Monday. The following week Adrian landed an accountant’s position.
From then on, life in Melbourne was rosy, as I already related in 2015.
Left to right: Last picture I took In London, 21 March 1955; Adrian on the Oronsay on the voyage to Australia.
Left to right, taken from the Oronsay: Naples; Mount Stromboli
Clockwise: Adrian at right with our soon-to-be Harvard Ph.D Bob at left, who disembarked in Colombo, Ceylon (Sri Lanka): we and our friends at the famous Raffles Hotel; crossing the equator ‘initiations’.
Big surprise, doctor informed me I was pregnant, on May 2nd a day before Adrian’s birthday. This was a complete change of plan, and we decided to try and move to Sydney, before the baby was born. Adrian went up, and with the help of Derek and Yvonne, found a job first, then a bedsitter in Neutral Bay.
I resigned from a job I loved at the ad agency, sadly farewelled all the kind people in Melbourne, and flew my ever flight (on a Fokker Friendship), to Sydney on the 20th August 1955.
I arrived on a perfect sunny Sydney winter’s day, changed into my summer clothes, looked for a job on Monday, and started one on Tuesday. And was able to travel to work by tram again.
Ups and downs in Sydney: reluctantly in October I gave up my job, and after a mad taxi drive dash across the Bridge, Clive was born in Bondi on 30th of November, and came home to Neutral Bay. Afterwards, we move to Harbord, where we rented a place from friends.
After Harbord, we moved to South Curl Curl, Narrabeen, and finally Strathfield, where Gordon was born on the 1st of October 1958.
Then we rented a Housing Commission home in Lalor Park, and after a year sold it, and bought our new-built model ranch-style bungalow in Carlingford.
Gordon and Clive, prior to Rodney’s birth.
Rodney was born in Stanmore on 29th October 1960, and came home to Carlingford.
With three sons, a mortgage we could afford, two cars, a dog, two cats, picnics, holidays, kind and friendly neighbours, and the theatre and tennis, life was sweet.
And then came the 1963 Recession, when Adrian’s job came to an end.
For six months we had to cut back on everything, so things were grim, we tightened our belts, and our live were filled with anxiety. Then luckily Adrian got a job as a Project Manager at Lend Lease. And everything returned to normal, more or less.
So, 1963 turned out all right in the end.
off at a tangent 