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).
