Annemarie Ritter
| First name | Annemarie |
|---|---|
| Last name | Ritter |
| Country of Origin | Germany |
| Date of Birth | 12th August 1953 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 26/01/53 |
| Submitted by | Annemarie Williamson |
Story
Reason for leaving homeland
Lack of employment oppertunities and the Berlin wall had just gone up.
About the Journey
My family Mum, Dad, three brothers and myself left Germany from Bremerhafen on New Years Eve 1960 on the Castel Felice (Sitmar Line). Our voyage of adventure took us through the Mediterranean Sea and on through the Suez Canal. I have such vivid memories of our stop in Port Said where an Arab dress in black flowing robes offered my mother four Engilsh pounds for me. I remember wondering why they were throwing spagetti over this poor man sitting at the bottom of a dry swiming pool as we crossed the Equator and sitting in life jackets waiting for the rough seas to stop tipping the ship from side to side.
Impressions on Arrival
We arrived in Perth on Australia day 1960 and I ate my first icecream ever.
We walked the streets of Fremantle on a very hot summers day.
On our arrival in Melbourne we were taken to Bonegilla by train and after a short stay there we were taken in the back of a cattle truck sitting on wooden seats to Woodside in South Australia. I still remember how worried my mother was because my father had to leave us and go ahead to Adelaide to try and find a job. It must have been hard for her not understanding the language and being alone with four children. From Woodside we moved to Glenelg and I started school for the first time.