Gillian Baldwin
| Town/City | Bathurst |
|---|---|
| First name | Gillian |
| Last name | Baldwin |
| Country of Origin | England |
| Date of Birth | 31st March 1941 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1958 |
| Submitted by | Gillian Baldwin |
Story
I left England in July 1958 with my father and four siblings. I was seventeen years old at the time. We came as ten pound poms. My father’s reason for wanting to leave England was to get away from the horrible weather. He was a school teacher and was assured of work on our arrival.
We travelled by Sitmar Line on the Fairstar via the Suez Canal. We all enjoyed the trip, though I had trouble adjusting to the Italian food and ate mostly bread, cheese and oranges.
We arrived in Sydney early in the morning in September. I remember the wonderful view of Sydney Harbour as we arrived on a bright sunny morning. We stayed for a short time in a hostel in Newtown, until my father was able to buy us a house. I had never seen an orange tree before and enjoyed eating oranges straight off the tree in the hostel garden. We ate our meals in a restaurant in the main street in Newtown and I can remember really enjoying the simple meal of baked beans on toast.