A story in four parts 2...
On boarding our ship at Southampton Docks The Ellinis a Greek shipping
line Chandris..we were shown to our cabins and the journey had begun. It was all
an adventure like nothing we had experienced in our lives before. A beautiful
ship with great food and soon we made friends with many others seeking a new
life and new opportunities.
We were not on any scheme, as we had saved hard, many were going to
Australia just a few on to New Zealand. I remember sort of feeling something
special as we were going that “extra mile” for our adventure.
After just over four weeks of mostly relaxed living, some huge seas and
seeing the novelty of flying fish, and the changing of the seasons and calling
in to Cape Town South Africa and then on to Freemantle Australia. I remember
Freemantle looked so quiet back then in 1970. That was before the Americas Cup
and so many other things that were to put Freemantle on the map. It was just a
bright sunny place on the harbour and shops...I don’t remember anything else
spectacular at the time. It was just bright and sunny!
Many families disembarked with their suitcases but the majority stayed on
as the next stop was Melbourne. The one thing I remember...the first thing...was
to see hundreds of men with placards boards saying migrants not welcome here as
people disembarked. ” You are taking our jobs,” etc., etc., I remember my Mother
looked at Dad and they must have wondered what we were walking into. We hoped
New Zealand would be different ..and it was. I remember we caught the train in
to the main shops of Melbourne and we bought lots of sweets/lollies and things
we couldn’t get on board the ship. Seems funny now.
Sydney the next stop and by this time although some had boarded for a
longer journey to travel on from New Zealand there were still a significant
number ready to disembark once through the harbour bridge. A spectacular sight
then and always will be. The opera house was still being completed and there
were still three years to go to finishing date. I remember reading in the UK
and seeing on TV how much opposition to it there had been at the time with cost
blow outs etc., Now 51 years later it has surely paid for itself and is known
as one of the wonders of the modern world. A building way way before it’s time
in architectural history.
Wellington was next and our jumping off point. I really don’t remember that
much about Wellington that stood out to me back then. We stayed in a hotel near
the docks somewhere I can’t remember where exactly and caught the inter island
ferry to Christchurch the next day. I remember the inter island ferry The Wahine
tragedy two years earlier where 53 people had lost their lives where one ferry
had crashed. and sunk. The water between the two islands is known to be
extremely rough at time but we were lucky and struck good weather.
I remember standing on deck between the two islands looking out for the
South Island and as it appeared, around four hours later hazily on the horizon,
a man next to me who must have known, I may have even told him, said...”The
Promised Land”...I really wondered and hoped it was.
The Long and Winding Road...almost there...
(to be continued)
Comments
Post a Comment