Gilbert Purcell
| First name | Gilbert |
|---|---|
| Last name | Purcell |
| Country of Origin | England |
| Date of Birth | 1/7/2004 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1923 |
| Submitted by | lorraine foreman |
Story
Reason for leaving homeland: GREATER OPPORTUNITY FOR SUCCESS IN AUSTRALIA.
He sailed from Tilbury docks aboard the SS Largs Bay a steamship of 13852 tonnes (quite a small ship) on the 20 February 1923 arriving at Sydney on 4 April 1923 a six weeks journey. Dad would tell us how he travelled through the Suez Canal and going ashore at Cairo for a few hours. What a great adventure as an 18 year old on his own crossing to the other side of the world and experiencing Cairo with its hidden dangers and romance and the excitement of reaching Brisbane and wondering what lay ahead of his and his new life at Kin Kin in the bush of the Sunshine Coast of Queensland.
He worked at Lake Cootharaba Station for a Mr Horrocks (his sponsor); very remote hot hard work but happy to be employed and working in Australia; first job to burn a dead horse. His diet consisted of damper and corned beef. He could see potential in the country worked hard on the coast in many industries over the first 20 years until he owned his own business as a butcher in Nambour. He was a staunch Australian and never returned to the UK.