Andy & Dawn MacDonald
| Town/City | Floraville |
|---|---|
| First name | Andy & Dawn |
| Last name | MacDonald |
| Country of Origin | Rhodesia |
| Date of Birth | 23/03/47 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1978 |
| Submitted by | Angela Davis |
Story
Our Story Ð We had a Farm in Africa.
We, Andy and Dawn, were married in Bulawayo – Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe on the 8th March 1969.
This is our story.
We had a small farm in Africa and we called it ‘Andaw’ it was ours. It was about 23km out of Bulawayo on a dirt / tarred road, and this was our dream. We both loved it. We had a housekeeper called Hester and she was great. Andy\’s farm hand was Neilson and we had other workers who helped on the farm. The farm consisted of about 550 acres in which we had Brahman cattle, some sheep and plenty of wild game as well as maize crops. It was a wonderful carefree life. Andy still worked on the Rhodesian Railways as a fitter and turner full time, but also ran his farm. Dawn stayed home and took care of all home duties. Before Independence, all men aged between 18-50 yrs old were called up to do National Service which meant they were in armed forces for 6 weeks on and 6 weeks off. The farms where targeted by the foe, which rendered them unsafe for families, including us.
We had two girls Angela and Leigh aged 7 and 5. So we decided for a safer and better life. So we applied to immigrate to Australia. We waited for 12 months to be accepted. A new life and journey was about to begin for us.
Our new life began on the 23 September 1978.
We arrived in Sydney, coming from a small town in Africa; it was overwhelming seeing all the houses and built up areas, as well as the people. We lived there for 3 months and the girls attended school and Andy and I took time to adjust.
Our journey then moved to Newcastle, a much slower pace compared to Sydney. We all enjoyed the beautiful beaches and lovely Lake Macquarie, because Rhodesia was land locked. Within a short drive we also have the Hunter Valley and the snow fields. And to the north is tropical Queensland.
Andy was successful in gaining a position in the Coal Mines as a fitter and turner, a position he still holds today.
We bought our first home and still reside there today. We all settled in and found everyone to be very friendly and welcoming, for which we were most grateful, as most of our family still lived in Africa.
We became Australian Citizens on the 25th September 1981.
Our two girls have married and we today have 4 beautiful grandchildren (Roxy, Casey, Zali, and Campbell). This journey has enabled us to enjoy our lives and to see the lives that Australia has to offer our children, grandchildren and hopefully one day great grandchildren.
We have never regretted moving to our new home in Australia. We are very grateful for Australia and its people to allow us to begin a new life were we can see our children and grandchildren grow up and enjoy all Australia has to offer, but there will always be part of Africa in our blood.
Our story is to be continued in future generations. ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ