Roger Bailey
| First name | Roger |
|---|---|
| Last name | Bailey |
| Country of Origin | India |
| Date of Birth | 17th September 1937 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1971 |
| Submitted by | Roger Bailey |
Story
My name is Roger Francis Bailey, and I was born on the 17th September 1937 in Madras (Chennai) India.
In the middle to late sixties, members of the Anglo-Indian Community started migrating to Australia. Initially I was not interested as I had a good government job with an assured future.
However, I had a wife and four children – two sons and two daughters and I began to feel that my children would have a much better life in Australia than they would have in India, especially if we migrated while they were still young.
We moved to Australia in September 1971 and I got a clerical position in eight days. I attended night school to study Accounting and became an Accountant in six years.
When we left India, we were only permitted to take out ₤ 3-10-0 each because of foreign exchange restrictions.
On arrival in Australia, we rented an unfurnished house; but we were never depressed or homesick. This was an adventure and a challenge and as I had a job, we could acquire what we needed. We felt confident that through God’s goodness, everything would turn out as we hoped. It did.
My wife Ð Jean, and I, both established satisfactory careers and our four children – Michael, Sharon, Christine and Russell, all obtained University degrees and secured good jobs.
We have all settled very happily in Australia, and I consider migrating here to be one of my best decisions.