Lorna Buik (nee Taylor)
| Town/City | Wagga Wagga |
|---|---|
| First name | Lorna |
| Last name | Buik (nee Taylor) |
| Country of Origin | Scotland |
| Date of Birth | 3/19/1935 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1957 |
| Submitted by | Lorna Buik |
Story
I was born in Inverness-shire Scotland in 1935. My father was a sawmiller, consequently we moved around the country a lot and I attended several schools. I have a younger sister and brother and we all had a very happy childhood, growing up in some of the prettiest parts of Scotland.
At age 17 I started work with the Singer Sewing Machine Company in Perth, Scotland. I enjoyed my job, but as time went on I felt I\’d like a change. At this time I became interested in the advertisements on TV for migrants to Australia and New Zealand. The idea of travelling to the other side of the world for ₤10.00 seemed very exciting, so when I read in the local paper that a representative from Australia was coming to Perth to do interviews, I decided to go and see him. On arriving at the waiting room I met a friend whom I had not seen for some time. Her name was Margaret Douglas and like me, she was just curious. We decided then and there that we would travel together if accepted.
The representative explained it might be easier if we had family in Australia who would sponsor us. I had no one, but Margaret had an aunt and uncle living in Narrandera, NSW. They agreed to sponsor us and from then on things moved swiftly. We requested only one month\’s notice, and were advised we would be sailing on the SS Strathnaver on Christmas Eve.
We left Perth Railway Station on Sunday, 23rd December 1956 at 7.30 pm, arriving at St Pancras in London the next morning. We had a short train ride to Tilbury where the SS Strathnaver was waiting.
We sailed in the afternoon of 24th December amid cheers, tears and streamers to the strains of ‘Anchors Away\’. As the Suez Canal was blocked to shipping, we were advised the ship would sail via South Africa and would take a little longer to reach Australia.
The first port of call was Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, then Capetown and Durban in South Africa. Each time the ship docked, the passengers had time to do some sight-seeing and shopping. After leaving Durban, it would be eleven days before we reached Fremantle in Australia. Some migrants disembarked in Fremantle, then some in Adelaide, Melbourne, and finally Sydney on 31st January 1957. Margaret and I travelled to Narrandera by train overnight, arriving the next morning to a temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit, which was not pleasant.
I moved to Wagga Wagga in NSW later that year to take up a position with the Singer Sewing Machine Company, and it\’s here I met my husband, John Buik. We returned to Scotland to be married in 1960, then after two years returned to Wagga Wagga. We have three daughters and six grandchildren and still live in Wagga Wagga. I have had several trips home to Scotland over the years, but have never regreted that decision I made in 1956 as, for ₤10.00, this has been a wonderful journey with many great memories.