Ann and Michael Broom
| First name | Ann and Michael |
|---|---|
| Last name | Broom |
| Country of Origin | England |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1972 |
| Submitted by | Ann Broom |
Story
My wife and I could not see a bright future for our son Steven and daughter Lisa (4yrs and 2yrs). in England, so amid an industrial strike that was causing much unrest all over the country we completed the appropriate forms and sent them off to Australia House.
We left Heathrow airport at about 7.15pm on the 8th September 1972, just a few days after the Munich Olympic disaster, aboard a British Airways 747. The journey had 4 stops, but the first 2 were Zurich and Tehran, we were not allowed to leave the plane and no person was allowed to join the flight, security was very tight. We flew into Perth just after midnight on the 10th September 1972. It was a long flight with 2 little ones.
There were no airbridges in those days, and the heat just hit us as we walked down the steps onto the tarmac. It was about 90F then. We were taken to a hostel and took our first ride out the following day. My wife loved the country from the first moment she saw it, it took a little longer for me to get used to it but when I finally got the job that I wanted, Airport Fire Service, we were ‘home and hosed’. We did a few years at a country station – Port Hedland and had an absolute ball.
Our 2 children have got married and we now have 2 grandsons. Our wonderful life is now complete.