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Ex Pats and Brummies abroad

Richard,

According to Cretan news sources, there are no reports of injuries, but there are some reports of damage to buildings, but so far no details. Not a lot goes on in that south east corner and the vast majority of tourists have now gone home. There are some ruins of the Minoan Palace of Zakros, which attracts a few tourists, but the weather has broken - we had a thunderstorm yesterday - and I would not image there were many people about. Thanks for your thoughts.

Maurice :cool:
Stay safe ! Not many of our vintage around!
 
Thanks, my friemds. All gone quiet now, but you can never tell whem we will get some activity again. Certainly the number of instances of such activity seem to have increasedn worldwide, and the poor people of La Palma in the Canaries seem to be taking a pasting with their volcano.

Maurice :cool:
 
We left Birmingham in 1963 and have lived in Essentially in Melbourne, with a a two year assignment in Auckland New Zealand. Our 58th anniversary has just been achieved and we are still very happy with our move.In N.Z we traveled throughout from Cape Reinga down to Invercargill.
We caravan, and have just returned from a trip to Hervey Bay 2,000km there and 2,000km back we enjoy the country and don't intend moving again. we have traveled UK, Ireland,most of Europe during our several trips to UK.
home is were you feel you belong, I could not imagine moving back to UK as it would be to demanding for us to resettle.
Ernie
 
We left Birmingham in 1963 and have lived in Essentially in Melbourne, with a a two year assignment in Auckland New Zealand. Our 58th anniversary has just been achieved and we are still very happy with our move.In N.Z we traveled throughout from Cape Reinga down to Invercargill.
We caravan, and have just returned from a trip to Hervey Bay 2,000km there and 2,000km back we enjoy the country and don't intend moving again. we have traveled UK, Ireland,most of Europe during our several trips to UK.
home is were you feel you belong, I could not imagine moving back to UK as it would be to demanding for us to resettle.
Ernie
We just moved a little over 6 miles, talk about demanding, just about killed me! I told my wife if there is a next time we are going to pack a suitcase and leave everything!
 
Hi everyone, I wanted to tell the story of my parents who left Birmingham for a better life in 1958.

Mum was born in 1932 in Aston, dad was born in 1930 in Dudley. Both from working class families. Both went through WWII as children. Mum often recalls going to the air raid shelters as a child. Even now if she hears a siren, it scares her. Mum lived in Allesley Street, then Holte Road. Dad's parents lived in Unett Street (according to the 19111 census). His father was a window cleaner. He lived at Shenstone Valley Road (according to the 1939 register).

Dad's mother died when he was quite young and his father remarried, but they never got on. Dad had a brother and a halfbrother. Mum had four sisters. One of mum's sisters passed away from polio in 1954, one sister left home never to be seen when mum was young, one sister ran off and married a Welshman (and lived in Wales) (we have since found her family) and the other sister apparently had two children our of wedlock, was in trouble with the law for stealing some candlesticks from a church to sell as she wanted to find her way back to Birmingham as her mother was sick. She was sentenced to 6 months' jail. Mum parents died in the same year in 1956. Mum always talked about Aston Villa FC as her house backed onto the stadium.

Mum met dad at a party when he was a handsome sailor in the early 1950s. He fought in the Royal Navy in the Korean War. He left the navy, got married in 1955 at the Aston Parish Church and migrated to Melbourne in 1958 as "10 pound POMS". They came out on a ship with mum being see sick for much of the time. Their passports and papers were stolen while on the ship.

They lived in a migrant camp at Fisherman's Bend for a while, then rented a house. They eventually bought a house in Burwood moving to another house in Burwood where they lived for many years. Mum moved from there into an aged care home in Vermont South 7 years ago. The old home is still there and it holds many fond memories for me. I recall when I was married in 1984, dad was so proud. He mowed the front lawn and had a table out the front with champagne for the neighbours. I do miss him.

Mum worked in a factory and dad joined the Australian National Line (shipping company) and worked in the payroll area. He was always good with numbers.

Dad was a member of the RSL and always proudly marched in the ANZAC Day parade each year. He joined the darts team with the RSL and played competition darts.

We live in Mount Evelyn, outside of Melbourne, with a lovely large treed garden. We have been researching the family tree for years and have uncovered that much of both sides of the family came from Birmingham, some distant relatives migrating to other parts of Australia and New Zealand.

My parents never went back to the UK, but mum still refers to Birmingham as home (even though she would never recognise it now).
 
Hi everyone, I wanted to tell the story of my parents who left Birmingham for a better life in 1958.

Mum was born in 1932 in Aston, dad was born in 1930 in Dudley. Both from working class families. Both went through WWII as children. Mum often recalls going to the air raid shelters as a child. Even now if she hears a siren, it scares her. Mum lived in Allesley Street, then Holte Road. Dad's parents lived in Unett Street (according to the 19111 census). His father was a window cleaner. He lived at Shenstone Valley Road (according to the 1939 register).

Dad's mother died when he was quite young and his father remarried, but they never got on. Dad had a brother and a halfbrother. Mum had four sisters. One of mum's sisters passed away from polio in 1954, one sister left home never to be seen when mum was young, one sister ran off and married a Welshman (and lived in Wales) (we have since found her family) and the other sister apparently had two children our of wedlock, was in trouble with the law for stealing some candlesticks from a church to sell as she wanted to find her way back to Birmingham as her mother was sick. She was sentenced to 6 months' jail. Mum parents died in the same year in 1956. Mum always talked about Aston Villa FC as her house backed onto the stadium.

Mum met dad at a party when he was a handsome sailor in the early 1950s. He fought in the Royal Navy in the Korean War. He left the navy, got married in 1955 at the Aston Parish Church and migrated to Melbourne in 1958 as "10 pound POMS". They came out on a ship with mum being see sick for much of the time. Their passports and papers were stolen while on the ship.

They lived in a migrant camp at Fisherman's Bend for a while, then rented a house. They eventually bought a house in Burwood moving to another house in Burwood where they lived for many years. Mum moved from there into an aged care home in Vermont South 7 years ago. The old home is still there and it holds many fond memories for me. I recall when I was married in 1984, dad was so proud. He mowed the front lawn and had a table out the front with champagne for the neighbours. I do miss him.

Mum worked in a factory and dad joined the Australian National Line (shipping company) and worked in the payroll area. He was always good with numbers.

Dad was a member of the RSL and always proudly marched in the ANZAC Day parade each year. He joined the darts team with the RSL and played competition darts.

We live in Mount Evelyn, outside of Melbourne, with a lovely large treed garden. We have been researching the family tree for years and have uncovered that much of both sides of the family came from Birmingham, some distant relatives migrating to other parts of Australia and New Zealand.

My parents never went back to the UK, but mum still refers to Birmingham as home (even though she would never recognise it now).
Great story Sue! As a fellow immigrant I can appreciate your journey although mine is much less storied than yours!
 
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