Eileen McWhirter-Holmes

Story

I, Eileen McWhirter-Holmes, born on the 27 June, 1946, eldest daughter of James McGeoch McWhirter, (Mechanical Engineer) of “Pinewood”, Leswalt, Scotland. One of six children, I was born at Glenhead Quarry Cottage, Leswalt. My father built Pinewood our home during the 1940’s. At the age of five I started at Larbrax School and progressed onto Stranraer Academy.

After leaving school my first job was sneading turnips in the winter snow at Larbrax Farm. My lunch time was spent sitting on the cliff in the cold wind to have a lunch of cold tea out of a glass bottle. This was followed by cold toast. Sitting there I watched the smoke rise in the distance from the factories in Ireland. Ships were “ploughing” the Irish Sea and while sitting there I often thought it would be lovely to travel.

As spring came around I went into Larbrax Farm house as a skivvy to Mr and Mrs Foster. This couple were wonderful to me and I learnt so much from Mrs Foster. After a few years I went to be a nanny in a large mansion at Eastwood Toll in Glasgow.

My family informed me that my Uncle Fergus McWhirter had returned from Australia for a visit. Upon meeting with my uncle I decided to try life in Australia. Six months later, after travelling on the overnight train from Glasgow to London I boarded my Qantas flight for Australia. As we flew over Sydney I saw the wonderful sight of the harbour bridge and the as yet unfinished Opera House. This nineteen year old girl was bursting with excitement. The date was the 20 October, 1966. When leaving the aircraft my first impression was that the sky was so blue and so very high after the dull skies of Scotland. The smell of the gum trees was everywhere in the city gardens.

At Sydney International Airport my Uncle Fergus was waiting. He then took me on a ferry ride around the beautiful harbour and then over the huge bridge. On our way down the South Coast we came via Kangaroo Valley to Nowra. I can remember asking, “When do the gum trees stop”. I was told that, “They go on forever”. The mileage seemed at the time to be so great but at last we arrived at “Mossy Banks” farm at Bermagui. I was given a great welcome by my Aunt Florence and my cousin Fergus. “Mossy Banks” was a dairy farm and that year it looked very green. After a few weeks to settle in I started work at the old Hylands Hotel in Narooma. I thought that Narooma was a beautiful little village. I started work with the Hylands family another lovely family, how lucky I have been.

Two years later, I met my Australian husband Lesley Herbert Holmes of Moruya. Our marriage took place at St Stevens, Moruya on the 20 December 1969. We went to live in the house which Les built on South Heads Road, Moruya. Les had been a timber cutter since the age of fifteen and then we went into an oyster growing business and continued with this for the next twenty years.

Our two children James McWhirter Holmes and Eleanora Lesley Holmes were both born at the Batemans Bay Hospital. I now have six Australians in my family, Les, James his wife Leanne and our two grandchildren Darcy and Scarlet and Eleanora our daughter.

At retirement Les and I are back to where I started at “Mossy Banks”, Bermagui. My story submitted in 2010 reads in conjunction with that of Fergus McWhirter.

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