Llewelyn Jones
| Town/City | Claremont WA |
|---|---|
| First name | Llewelyn |
| Last name | Jones |
| Country of Origin | Wales |
| Date of Birth | 3/3/1943 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1970 |
| Submitted by | Ann Jones |
Story
When I met Llewelyn he was 19 and I was 16 and he told me his ambition was to go to Australia. We fell in love and I hoped that he would forget all about wanting to go to Australia. We married, bought a house and had our first child. We lived in a small mining village in South Wales but employment prospects and the weather weren’t good and Llewelyn’s thoughts soon returned to a better life in Australia. I didn’t want to leave my family and friends but in the end it was my mother’s words that I had married Llewelyn knowing he wanted to go and I should at least give it a try. It was the 60’s and Australia very actively seeking immigrants and we had no problem in being accepted for a new life.
I can only remember the heartache at leaving our families, lots of tears and sadness which for me lasted a long time but Llewelyn was very excited and couldn’t wait to put his feet firmly on Australian soil. We made the journey by plane as he was anxious to find employment as soon as he could. The other passengers on the plane were mostly families emigrating so a lot of mixed emotions with everyone.
We arrived in January 1970 and even though it was early hours of the morning it was very hot and my fur collared coat and fur boots were quite unnecessary!! We were taken by bus to the Migrant Hostel in Graylands where we were greeted by the Manager, given brief welcome and some information on what would be happening the next day. We were then all taken to our flat which was quite a shock. Two very small rooms, the main one would also be our bedroom. There was a small sink in the corner but we would share shower and toilet facilities with 7 other families. All I could think was “what have we done?” .
Almost 40 years later and Llewelyn passed away after a long battle with Huntington’s Disease in February 2009. This was always home to Llewelyn and both our daughters and although it has taken me a long time to say it – this is my home and he made the right decision.
He would be very happy to be remembered on the Immigration Bridge.
Ann Jones