Ten Pound Poms

My girl friend and her family from Bury Lancashire who I met on the GEORGIC when taking £10 Poms to Melbourne, OZ they were put in an old Army Camp, called Brooklyn. Surrounded by barbed wire, Nissen Huts were two families to a hut, separated by a breeze block wall and one cold water tap .out side. They had to stay there for 12 months before they could leave, I went to visit them there the following year, 1956. They then got a farm house in Melton South.
They were treated appallingly, they were told where to work, no choice, only after 12 months could they change jobs.This was in 1955.
My brother had the same when he emigrated as a Seaman, they stuck him in a Steel works in Whyalla, South Australia, He escaped and with two others they crossed the Nulabar to Fremantle where he got a job on a ship in the OZ. MN./

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Originally Posted by Brett Hayes

What a saga of memories! Enjoyed immensely.

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Hi Brett.
I come from Garden Village many moons ago. Did you ever know Norman Wareham lived opposite Kingsbridge School? My sister lived in Lougher passed away a few months ago, married to Eifion Bevan, of the boxing family.
Cheers Des

I watched one of the Strath boats leave Adelaide for the UK back in the 50s; she was full of Poms going back home. Later, in NZ I met a couple who had emigrated as 10 pounder's too Adelaide; same story living in Nissan huts in the heat of the summer , did their two years and then shot through to NZ.
Cheers Des

Victoria, at the time you came out the 'Ten Pound Pom' saga was coming to an end and Pert had far better facilities than some other ports.

The Brooklyn one Kong speaks of is long gone but I know a couple who were there as very young migrants.
It was as Kong describes a hell hole, but at that time Oz was still a very isolated country and in so many areas still very primitive.

Yes they wanted the migrants to grow the country after the war and conditions were not good as there was little suitable accommodation for such large intakes.

One laugh I had was with a guy, David Dane ex BMN, I know in Canberra.
He left UK in mid winter wearing very large fur coat, it was cold in UK then.
Arrived in Fremantle on a 44 degree day, no one wanted his coat.

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Originally Posted by Des Taff Jenkins

Hi Brett.
I come from Garden Village many moons ago. Did you ever know Norman Wareham lived opposite Kingsbridge School? My sister lived in Lougher passed away a few months ago, married to Eifion Bevan, of the boxing family.
Cheers Des

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Dear Des,
I didn’t know Norman Wareham, but do know Eifion Bevan. In fact, I bumped into his brother, Elvet, (‘Lex’ after Lex Barker of Tarzan fame) this morning while shopping in a rain-soaked Gorseinon. Unfortunately, a mutual friend of his and mine, Peter Davies, an ex-amateur heavyweight, formerly of Penllergaer but now of Garden Village, is being buried in Penllergaer church next Thursday. He sparred in the Cae Duke with Lex.
I hope this message gets to you. I’m not sure what I’m doing, as this is the first time I’ve ever responded to a ‘thread’.
All best,
Brett

Hi Brett.
What a small world. As I said Eifion was married to my sister Olga who passed away a few months ago. His brother Gareth was a champion boxer, had the best gym in the UK. I can well imagine the rain in Gorsienon, here we haven't seen any for around three months, up in the country areas five years. The reason I asked about Norm Wareham was that he went to school with me now lives in Queensland , invented the automatic tap, put your hands under and the water flows take it away and it stops, not bad for a boy who went to Kingsbridge school.
If you see Eifion give him my best.
Cheers des

Victoria, after WW2 it was an odd situation.
The UK was short of workers so brought many in from West Indies, Jamaica in particular, and West Africa.

Yet at the same time were willing to let locals go to Oz as Ten pound Poms, Canada, NZ and South Africa.
Sadly some of those, as young children ,that were brought here did so under very suspicious circumstances.
Told their parents had been killed in the bombing while they were in the North for safety.
Many were brought out to Perth by the Church and some suffered some very humiliating incidents.

In recent times they have found out the truth, some being reunited with families they never knew of.

They also had the "BIG BROTHER" scheme where young orphans were shipped out to OZ,
my Uncle Fred was shipped out in the 1920s, he was a jackaroo for a while and turned into a plonky,
always drunk, One day he fell out of a pub in Queensland and fell into the horse trough and lay there, with all the town laughing at him.
He saw a Flash of light and an angel appeared, he sobered up very quick, climbed out of the trough and went and joined a missionary group.
He never ever drank alcohol again. He became a missionary traveling all around the Pacific Islands,
He told me he went to one island and everyone was Naked, He stayed for 12 months converting them and when he left everyone was wearing clothes.[Spoil sport]
He lived later in Adelaide and when I docked I always had to go and visit , He always had bible meetings at his home, and Aunty played the organ they had in the lounge and with all the other missionaries I had to sing hymns and read the bible, while all hands were down the alehouse.
He died many years ago.

Hi Victoria.
There were 10pound Kiwis, that was what it cost me to get to NZ on the Southern Cross which was used as an immigrant ship in 57.
Cheers Des

Never did have the Luxury of Travelling as a Ten Pound Pom ,or in fact a Twenty Rand Yarpie LOL
No we came later on when all that cheap Immigration was over and had to pay our own way to get here.
It was a big decision for all of us I know ,but with us as we did not have too much cash ,it sort of left quite a large hole in our pockets after the Fares for the Two Adults and 2 Children.
However we really wanted to come so it was do or die so to speak.
Arrived at Sydney Airport on a lovely Hot day in March of 1980 ,with no more than $200 Aussie Dollars to my name .
We were in a way very lucky though as we had arranged to take a House over for Rent ,as the Owners were going to the UK for a Six Months stay .
So as soon as we got here we rushed to the House (which of course was fully furnished) and settled in nicely.
On the second day I landed my first Job in Aussie,and her indoors also got a Job on our third day here!
So it all worked out well,battled a bit at the start (as did most of us who migrated those days)

So between the Nine Children on the Wifes side there were only three who migrated on their own steam,the rest came on Ships through the assisted passage scheme from South Africa ,as I called them at the start the Twenty Rand Yarpies! :)