the Stantons Stanton
| Town/City | melbourne |
|---|---|
| First name | the Stantons |
| Last name | Stanton |
| Country of Origin | England |
| Date of Birth | 4/10/1952 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1988 |
| Submitted by | ANN Stanton |
Story
Reason for leaving homeland – Leaving a struggling UK; no opportunity could be seen for my 3 childrens’ future, funds were limited, opportunities were less, spiritually devoid of direction, locked into an lifestyle of footy hooligans and beer-filled weekends, this was not what we desired for our children, success depended on where you came from and not what you could achieve.
About the Journey – arriving at Tullamarine airport was so welcoming, extended family waiting with smiling faces and open doors, but I was already depressed, it had hit me hard on the flight; I had left my parents and siblings and friends behind, leaving my blood family and my history was much harder than I could have ever imagined, the excitement had gone and fear had set in.
I was so scared we would never fit in; we had left a modern home in north-west England – what had we done? Melbourne seemed so old, it was not going to be an easy settling…and then the people came, strangers offering support, furniture, advice, where to get work, school teachers encouraging my children, work in a bank was so different then to the UK, the bosses actually talked to you!…We started with 2nd hand furniture and not much else, but the Australian way of ‘she’ll be right’ soon rubbed off and we grew, new friends, new ways,a new life and my children flourished.
Sadly our marriage did not survive the transition,and yet this country gave me the opportunity to ‘do it alone’. I don’t believe would have happened in my country of birth, today I am proud to say myself and my 3 children are independant and successful in our personal careers, running small businesses happily, each child following their own personal path which I am confident would not have been offered back in Liverpool UK. Here this country has given us the opportunity to follow our dreams. It didn’t matter where we were from…..
I may have arrived depressed 21 years ago but I would never turn the clock back.as we welcome the first Australian grandchild in the next few weeks. We could not be prouder to call Australia HOME!