Rosemary Towler

Story

Rosemary Towler left her home town Burnley, Lancashire, England with her Brother Anthony and Grandparent’s Rose and George Towler after the death of her father Frank Towler. Her Grandparents Rose and George had been so upset by the death of their son they decided to migrate to Australia with their grandchildren to be with their only other son George Towler and his wife Lena nee Garstang who had migrated in 1951. Frank had given custody of his children to his parents during the war and although their Mother Elsie was unhappy about her children going to Australia she thought that they would have a better life. Rosemary knew very little about Australia and never realised that she would not be able to go home and see her mother for many years.

So in 1954 under the £10 migrant scheme Rose, George, Anthony and Rosemary Towler left the Tilsbury Dock aboard the liner the P&O Strathaird. Rosemary was fourteen years of age. Rosemary and Anthony had several companions on the ship as there were many orphaned children from the Big Brother Movement being bought to Australia. Sea sickness was the only discomfort Rosemary had, for the Strathaird was a luxury liner. She had a cabin of her own and stewards waited on them all. During the voyage Rosemary met a gentleman who told her he came from Australia to which she replied, ‘Oh, don\’t you speak good English’ for she did not even know that Australian’s did speak English. It was during this journey that Rosemary met Mary Addy nee Corbett and two have remained best friends ever since.

Just before the Strathaird reached Australia it was discovered that one of the stewards had small-pox and once the ship docked in Adelaide they were not allowed to depart. The Towlers and everyone who had not been vaccinated just before they left England were taken by tug-boat to Torrens Island where they were quarantined. Torrens Island is an island of mangroves and swamps just off Port Adelaide. During World War I the island was used as a war internment camp and at one stage a animal quarantine station. Years later the island would be the home of Adelaide\’s power station and a bridge was built to enable access across to the island. One at a time the passengers were taken into a cubicle where they were asked to remove all their clothing which was sent to be fumigated. Then they were taken to another room with germicidal baths that they had to dip their whole self in, head and all. From there, they were taken to dirty and dusty huts with partitions only half-way up to the roof between families. The authorities never giving a thought to putting young children next to married couples and what might be overheard in the night. This is where the Towler family would spend their first few weeks in Australia, feeling unsettled and homesick. Once the quarantine period had ended the Towler family made their first home in Slapes Gully, Burnside, Adelaide. Rosemary became a nurse. Unfortunately her grandfather George died a couple of years after their arrival. Her Grandmother Rose Towler lived until age 88 and got to see her Great Great Granddaughter Melissa Allery. Rosemary married Paul Winwood Forbes a merchant sailor in 1958 and they had 3 children Andrew, Linda and Avril. Unfortunately Rosemary’s husband Paul died in 1972. Rosemary married again in 1981 to Fredrick (Fred) Taylor a immigrant from Wolverhampton, England. Fred has two sons, Ian and Chris from a previous marrigae. Rosemary and Fred now live in Gawler, South Australia with their children, 7 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren living close by.

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