Wilfred (my father) Jordan
| Town/City | Ashburton Victoria |
|---|---|
| First name | Wilfred (my father) |
| Last name | Jordan |
| Country of Origin | Birmingham England |
| Date of Birth | 14.8.21 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1953 |
| Submitted by | Mary Louise Jordan |
Story
The story of Wilfred John Jordan
My father Wilfred John Jordan was born in Birmingham England on 14th August 1921. He was the youngest of two children to Wilfred Joseph and Aileen Sarah Jordan. His father was a policeman from the London Constabulary who did not enjoy good health in his middle years. At the age of 12 Wilfred lost his father to mastoiditis (acute middle ear infection) and was left to look after his mother and sister. The family took in boarders to supplement their income and times were difficult during the depression years in pre-war Birmingham. Schooled at St Philip’s Grammar in Edgbaston, Wilfred was a good student who excelled in maths and history and he enjoyed watching cricket immensely.
World War II saw him ready to enlist in the Royal Air Force (RAF) and after training in Nova Scotia Canada he was seconded to Mosquito squadron 21 as a navigator. He flew 59 successful sorties across Europe often flying in very dangerous conditions. Many of his commrades were killed but he was fortunate to survive and to be awarded the Distingushed Flying Cross (DFC) for this services and his bravery. He was sent to Germany post-war and returned to England not long afterwards.
After the war Wilfred trained as a surveyor and was intersted in pursuing a career in the building field. He studied hard and worked for a few years with the district valuers in Birmingham.
A questionable shadow on an X ray convinced him to migrate to a warmer climate at the age of 31 so he chose to come to Australia. He was a ten pound Pom, that is he paid ten pounds as part of the assisted passage scheme which was established and operated by the Australian Government. This scheme was offered to British subjects after the WWII period and was designed to substantially increase the population of Australia as well as supply workers for the country’s booming industries. Wilfred took up this offer and was offered a six weeks journey to Australia travelling by ship from Birmingam. He landed in Melbourne at the end of 1952 and was amazed at the wide streets and gardens on offer in his newly adopted city.
He wrote to Annie Harley, his sweetheart in Birmingham requesting her to join him here and in 1953 they were married at Our Lady of Victories in Camberwell Victoria. For the next 50 years he was a successful master builder and built hundreds of houses all over Victoria including Lilydale, Boronia, Ferntree Gully, Coldstream and Mooralbark..
Wilfred and Annie had seven children and eight grandchildren and spent many happy times together holidaying in Lakes Entrance and on the Mornington Peninsula. They also travelled extensively around Australia and took a trip back to their homeland in 1977.
Dad contributed greatly to this country and worked very hard for his family. He was a man of renaissance vision and he had a wide range of academic interests including European history, reading law, town planning, economics, architecture and the share market. He enjoyed simple pleasures such as watching footy and cricket, listening to talk back radio having a BBQ, fishing off the pier and spending quality time with his family. He was a hard working man and we miss him greatly. He died after a protracted illness in 2004.