Gilbert Alfred Eldridge
| First name | Gilbert Alfred |
|---|---|
| Last name | Eldridge |
| Country of Origin | England |
| Date of Birth | 23/01/22 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1964 |
| Submitted by | Patricia Boon |
Story
Gilbert left England with his wife Elsie and five children – Patricia, Christine, Margaret, David and Martin after securing a job with the BHP company in Port Kembla. Utmost in his mind was to provide a better life for his family.
The family left England on the 8th December 1964 via train from Bolton to Manchester and onto London where they flew out via Karachi, Singapore and Darwin arriving in Sydney mid morning on the 10th December 1964 where they were met by a bus to take them on their final journey to Berkeley NSW
Many magic moments will remain in the family’s memories forever – when they stepped from the Sydney Airport on a glorious blue sky day and saw two magnificent palm trees on either side of the entrance. When they travelled down Bulli Pass and saw the ocean for the first time – the views overlooking Wollongong where absolutely spectacular and still impress to this very day. Seeing Lake Illawarra – can we swim there?
The family stayed at the Berkely hostel for nearly 2 years before purchasing a home on Nottingham Street Berkeley where Gilbert & Elsie still reside.
This wonderful branch of the Eldridge family spread out to include the five children and their spouses plus a total (as at September 2008) of 9 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren who all thank the day Gilbert decided take that monumental step to immigrate to Australia.