thelma/melroy koch
| Town/City | cherrybrook sydney |
|---|---|
| First name | thelma/melroy |
| Last name | koch |
| Country of Origin | ceylon/srilanka |
| Date of Birth | 19/o2/1909 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1963/1964 |
| Submitted by | gordon koch |
Story
The Koch Family of Ridgeway Place/Ceylon/Alt Ruppin comprising Melroy, Thelma, Theone, John, Gordon, Bernadette, Dawn, David, Roger and Andrew migrated from Colombo, Ceylon to Sydney in 1963/64.
The main reason for the migration was the fact that the family was anglophonic and sinhala was to become the official language. Australia provided an anglophonic society with more opportunity and a pleasant climate.
The idea of Australia as a land of opportunity was soon realised. After the usual teething difficulties the family settled in, purchased its own home and several members went to university. John and Gordon received first class honours degrees in commerce and biochemistry, Theone became a barrister and Roger and Andrew received degrees in commerce and marketing.
John went on to become a senior executive at the Commonwealth Bank and Gordon received an ANU PhD followed by twenty five years research in Cambridge, England.
The family currently consists of Thelma, eight sibling children, 21 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren. Nearly all live in Sydney.
The move to Australia has been succesful and enjoyable and the family feels it has made a significant contribution to Australian life.