Wendy Lowcock
| First name | Wendy |
|---|---|
| Last name | Lowcock |
| Country of Origin | England |
| Date of Birth | 6/19/1941 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1950 |
| Submitted by | Wendy Boekel |
Story
England was in the grip of World War 11 in 1941 when I was born. My father, George, was an essential worker, doing 12 hr shifts as a tool setter for Parnall Aircraft Ltd, manufacturing turrents for fighter planes. Louie, my mother, had been a nurse before she married. We lived south of London in Tolworth, but it was still considered a risk and deemed to be safer up north, so she left with me to stay with my father’s relatives near Newcastle. After about 6 weeks Louie decided she would rather be with her husband, bombings and all so we returned. As well as working long days, George was also obligated to “do his bit” in the home guard and so was occupied most evenings. Stephane my sister arrived as Germany launced its deadly V-1’s or ‘flying bombs’. But the end was in sight even though it was May 9, 1945 before the victory bells sounded.
Well into the late 40’s Britain was still experiencing chronic shortages and rationing with many commodities unavailable. Australia’s ‘Assisted Migrant Scheme’ attracted George’s attention. A new start in a young country. The family applied, was accepted and in Nov. 1950 set sail into the great unknown on the migrant liner ‘New Australia’. Described as ‘all new luxury’ and totally rebuilt, she may well have been but she had a habit of rolling in the swells and many succumbed to sea sickness. Also families were separated. Men and boys over 12 being in dormatory type accommodation and women and children under 12 in 6 berth cabins.
After a month at sea and almost at journey’s end, a rough night through the Great Australian Bight tipped me out of my bunk fracturing my skull. Arriving in Sydney on Dec. 18 th, we were confronted with a heatwave and a warfie’s strike – no access to the docks. Some hours later I was allowed to be transferred to the R.C. Hospital with my stressed and anxious parents. Not the best introduction to a new country. When I was well enough we came by rail to Victoria to the migrant Hostel in Geelong and thankfully not too long after, moved out to the small coastal village of Ocean Grove, where we happily settled into the Aussie way of life. In 1954 my father started work at the Shell Refinery and we moved to Geelong. My sister and I attended Sacred Heart College and later I joined the State Savings Bank and Stephane trained as a nurse. In later years George and Louie made visits back to family in Britain, but were always happy to return ‘home’ to OZ. We girls both married and are still happily so, surrounded by our children and their families, except for Stephane’s son residing in London.