Time to say goodby

G, day for the last time from Down Under.
When we left for this memory holiday it was a bit scary, because things do change and after all I was only 17 when I left, so many years ago. But this journey has been so wonderful, meeting so many lovely people and seeing all the places where I used to live. It was as if all the missing pieces just fell into place.
Ruud now understands me when I talk about red dust, deep blue skies, thunder and lightning and then no rain. Driving for hours and just seeing one or two cars is something that you will never see in Holland. Just saying G,day to some one and then start a conversation as if you had known the person for years. Public Bar-B-Q’s on empty beaches, the sound of the magpie and the cockatoo’s at night when they search for a place to sleep. Things that when you live in Australia you would probably not realise that it is really ‘The Place to Be’.
Joop we started off with you showing us your Sydney, and we hope in due time we can do it again.
Then the journey started. My search for old memories has been a great success.
In Victoria the first house that we tryed to find did not exist anymore, they had built a Freeway on the whole area, but after that everything just started to happen.
The milkbar, our last house in Australia was still there. In the National Archives we found the immigration forms of my family, they had been there for more than 50 years.
Then we went to Narracoorte where we had a lovely time with Irene. We stayed at her farm for 3 days, seen the countryside and the way the people realy live, not just the touristy thing but just every day live in little country towns. We visited her family and traveled nearly 1000 k’s with Ruud driving sometimes in her ‘super’ red Holden. Thank you again Irene for te lovely time we spent with you all.
We even went wine tasting. And this is for you David, get to know the wine buissines in France because wine is booming in Australia. Mayby this could be a good reason for you to come over and get to know the country.
After leaving Narracoorte we went on to Adelaide, was the house still there I wondered? I was told that it was demolished and was now a service station, but as you saw in the foto’s it was not, it was just as I remembered, only it was now completely restored in it’s grandeur of the past. The Norfolk Island Pine was even bigger than I remembered. Lisa, the jong lady who now lives there with her family let us in and showed us the house. She had a written history on the house that she had copied for us. I told her that my little brothers, 8 and 10 years old, had climbed this big Norfolk Island Pine, after more than 40 years you could still see the notches that they hacked in the tree.
Our next stop was Woodside. I knew that the immigration camps where we first lived had all gone but in the library of Woodside we found some information on the camp and were told that we would probably find more in the Mortlock Library in Adelaide.
The temperature the next day was going to be more than 38 degrees so it was a good idea to go to see if there was any information to be found. Again we were more than lucky, not only did we find a book on the camp in Woodside but also a copy of the history on Gepps Cross. The title of the book, ‘Tin Huts and Memories; We got Our Ten Pounds Worth’. Immigrants payed 10 pounds, or in Dutch money 100 guilders to go to Australia.
We actually went to the house of the author and met Mr. Victor Turner and his wife and daughter. He gave me a signed copy and a CD of all of his research. Victor had also lived at Gepps Cross when he first came to Australia. His work will be an inspiration for me because I know that there are so many stories left that need to be told.
A third of all the Brittish immigrants went back and this was the same with the Dutch. Their stories also need to be told, so Victor if I need any help searching Australian files I wil certainly ask for your help.
Reading this little summary of these past weeks I can only say that I was very lucky finding all the places I had lived, the many stories and information and best of all, the beautiful people we have met along the way. I’ll just say; ‘till we meet again’ See ye all.