Barbara Diprose
| Town/City | Mermaid Waters, Qld |
|---|---|
| First name | Barbara |
| Last name | Diprose |
| Country of Origin | England |
| Date of Birth | 19/12/48 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1955 |
| Submitted by | Barbara Diprose |
Story
Reason for leaving homeland – My mother hated the cold and rain in England
About the Journey – My father, mother, 2 sisters and myself travelled on the “Strathaird” from Southhampton to Perth then on to Sydney. It took 5 weeks. Four out of 5 were sea sick for much of the trip. We had lots of parties on board particularly the party to celebrate “The Crossing of the International Dateline”.
We were fortunate that my grandparents were already here. We stayed with them for 12 months and the 5 of us shared one bedroom during that time. We then moved down the street when Mum and Dad bought a block of land with a single garage on it. The garage (a normal sized single car garage) was divided into 3 rooms. No TV or heating. One bedroom for 3 girls, a lounge, dining room and a kitchen. We did not have a bathroom so we stood in a small, round bathtub in the kitchen and were washed down with a sponge and soap and dried rather rapidly so we wouldn’t freeze to death in the winter. That was our shower, summer and winter. The toilet was outside and was a can with a toilet seat on it. Every week a nightman would come and remove the can and replace it with a clean one. We used newspaper cut into sheets for toilet paper.
Mum and Dad built a caravan and that is where they slept. In 1959 we used that caravan to travel throughout NSW, Vic and SA. My Dad was a “Fuller Brush Man” selling household brushes to country folk in towns and on farms and properties. Sometimes he would get paid with the produce that the farmers grew on their properties. This time in my life was the best and I often tell my children and grandchildren stories from this time. We eventually came back to Sydney and after my grandparents died, Mum and Dad purchased their house where we lived until the 3 girls were married. Dad passed away in 1981. Mum sold the house in 1985 and moved to the Central North Coast of NSW where she still lives today.
Impressions on Arrival – For the first 6 weeks it did nothing but rain. My mother was beside herself. What had she done? Brought her family to this god forsaken “hole”. Eventually the rain cleared and that summer was stinking hot. I still dislike the hot weather to this day. Give me the winter anytime.