William John Coxhead

Story

WW2 came to an end in Malta GC in 1945. Thousands of workers were being laid off and during 1946 the Maltese Government started an Immigration Program encouraging people to migrate to another country like Canada, USA, UK and Australia. During 1947 to 1949 many thousands of Maltese departed from Malta to start a new life in one of these countries. I was 19 yrs of age in 1949 and employed by the British Army Engineers as an electrician. I thought it would be better for me to start a new life in another country. My first choice was Canada and second was Australia. Early in 1949 I registered to go to Australia and selected Melbourne as my new home. My parents agreed. I was engaged to marry a local girl by name of Mary S. Sultana. She also agreed to join me in Australia and be married in Melbourne. After I received approval by the Emigration Office in 1950, I started making preparations for my departure from my country.

I left Malta 10th September 1951 on the English liner SS Asturias.

My family came to see me of at Grand Harbour in Valletta. My sweetheart Mary was with me till I got on the boat. So was my dear father with tears in his eyes. The ship departed Malta at midday. It was a fine sunny day. As the ship moved out of the harbour and sailed past Malta we all stood on the side of the ship to have our final look at our homeland.

The whole journey was uneventful. Malta to Aden. Then to Colombo and onwards to Fremantle Australia. The seas were fairly calm. The food on the ship was satisfactory but not quite enough. The ship was carrying about 1000 UK migrants and 372 Maltese migrants. We were hungry most of the trip. On arrival at Fremantle early on a Sunday morning 31st September, we were allowed to go ashore. We headed to cafe for a decent meal. We bought some fruit and headed back to our ship. The SS Asturias berthed at Station Pier in Melbourne about 8am on Oct 5th 1951. After some hours to complete the Emigration and Customs requirements we walked down the gangway to be greeted by a few hundred Maltese friends relatives who were waiting for us on the wharf. It was a great spectacle. One never to be forgotten. I was met by four Maltese friends of mine. It was a great welcome. Paul Vella took me to meet his sister and her family in Nth Melbourne where I was given a very warm welcome.

At about 4pm Paul took me to a boarding house in Nth Fitzroy where he was staying. He had arranged tempory accomodation for me. This was only for one night as my friend Charlie Spiteri had rented a room for me at 138 Rosslyn Street West Melbourne. So the next day, on a Sunday afternoon I moved to my room at West Melbourne. This was a small boarding house owned by a Maltese Gozitan by name of Paul Zarb who came to Melbourne in 1919. My upstairs room was to cost me two Aust Pounds per week. Next day, Oct 7th I got my 1st job at Austin Motor Co in Dudley Str W. Melbourne as an electrician. After a few months I started my 2nd job with A.G. Healings in King Str W. Melbourne as an auto electrician. During those few months I was making preparations for me sweetheart Mary Stella to join me in Melbourne. I struck some problems with the Emigration Dept. After a special trip to the Emigration Dept in Canberra the problem was fixed and my Mary was given the OK to emigrate to Australia. She arrived in Melbourne on 4th Nov 1952 on the SS Largs Bay. On Tue 4th Nov 1952 at approx 3pm we were married at the Maltese RC Chapel in Drummond Str Carlton. We rented a house in Canterbury. By then I was working at the Abbotsford Brewery as an electrician. Mary was working at East Melboune. After 8 months at Moonee Ponds we bought our own block of land in East Keilor. We built a 2 room bungalow and moved in March 1954. Our 1st child Rita Louise was born 3rd April 1954 in Melbourne.

In Nov 1954 my brothers John and Charlie arrived in Melbourne and stayed with us at East Keilor. In April 1956 we sold our property at East Keilor and bought our 1st house at 28 Spencer St Essendon for 3250 Aust Pounds. My brothers moved in with us. In April 1958 the rest of my family who left Malta on the MS Skaubryn in March 1958 arrived in Melbourne on the 24th April 1958. The migrant ship MS Skaubryn which my mother and family were travelling on caught fire in the Indian Ocean on the 1st of April 1958 and sank after all the 1300 migrant passengers were saved by the tanker City of Sydney and the liner MS Roma. They arrived on the English liner SS Orsova.

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