John Hutson

Story

My name is John Hutson, I was born in 1938 in Hartlepool on the northeast coast of England, the son of Barbara and George Hutson and my early years were spent travelling around Britain so that my mother and I could be near to my father who was serving in the Royal Air Force as aircrew during the Second World War.

When I was 5 years of age we returned to Hartlepool for me to go to Rosebank High School where I stayed until 1954 when I left to study accountancy.

In 1962 I married Jane Appleyard, at St Paul\’s Church, Hartlepool. Now I was a Chartered Accountant and Jane was an Optometrist. Our first son, Neil, was born in 1965 followed later by Andrew and Alistair.

By the late 1970\’s Britain was having a very difficult time economically. Margaret Thatcher was in power making cuts to government spending. My business was heavily dependant on government contracts which had virtually dried up and unemployment in our home town was running at thirty per cent.

Jane and I had long ago decided that as long as we were together we could live anywhere. We chose Australia as we were told that accountants and optometrists were required.

We left London on 1st December 1981 in a snowstorm and arrived the next day in Melbourne to a beautiful summer day and like so many migrants we had no jobs, no home, no friends, and little money.

So after we had battled our way through immigration and customs we gathered in the airport entrance and wondered where we might hire a car to drive to Adelaide.

We were amazed to be approached by a couple who introduced themselves as cousins of my mother and had come to meet us. After three days with them we hired a car to drive to Adelaide, our planned destination in Australia.

We chose to drive the scenic coast route and were staggered at the emptiness. This was our first lesson in the difference between Australia and Europe. Arriving in Adelaide we stopped at the first motel we came across , where we were to stay until we found a home to rent. We were unprepared for the way Australia just about closes down for the Christmas break.

After six weeks we rented a house in the nearby suburb of Beaumont, but our furniture was still sailing somewhere in the Indian Ocean. The owner of the motel offered to lend us some beds for Jane and I and mattresses for the boys. So, after purchasing some sleeping bags and some bean bags, we had our new home in the Land Down Under.

After eighteen months our house in England was sold and we bought our own Australian home and became Australian citizens.

Sadly in 1986 Jane became ill with cancer and she was to spend the next two years struggling through operations and drastic treatments. We were inspired by Jane\’s courage and determination to try and beat that appalling illness but after two years of devoted support by her doctors and lots of time spent chasing many supplementary and alternative treatments Jane was simply too worn out to continue.

Jane died on 4th July 1988, a day which I like to think gave her back her independence and freedom from pain and stress.

The boys and I were lost but we had been well prepared by Jane to get on with our lives. We had our goals and that much we owed Jane.

The boys were all at university and I was working in an industry that was full of well-wishers. With the best intentions in the world many of my friends and colleagues thought that I should have a new lady in my life, but I resisted all offers of introductions. I would have a partner in my way, in my time or not at all.

In October 1989 a diminutive blonde lady arrived in our dealership to buy a new four wheel drive wagon to use in the bush, where she planned to do some commercial filming. This was Annie and I was persuaded that I should call her and introduce myself.

In spite of having enormously diverse backgrounds I believe that we were both brought up with the same basic standards and beliefs and have much in common.

Annie tells a story of a time when she was on holiday in Singapore . She met a Chinese fortune teller sitting on a city footpath and asked him to tell her fortune. She was told that she would meet a man from over the seas who would wear a grey suit and she would spend the rest of her life with him.

We enjoyed more and more time together, and I met Annie\’s three children and other members of her family. So we decided we would marry and the Chinese fortune teller\’s prophecy came true.

Annie and I now have 14 children between us, ten grandchildren and seemingly countless step-grandchildren.

My time in Australia has had its good times and its less good times, but there are no regrets. If Australia wasn\’t here somebody would have to invent it Ð it\’s so good.

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