A New Life... as "Ten
Pound Poms"
This fascinating account describes emigration under the "Ten
Pound Pom" scheme. It involved a life changing journey to Oz
back in 1968.... for George and the Marshall family...
Marion, Sheree, Linda, Lorraine and George
Marshall - 1968
So, 'ang on to your tucker bags.... 'Ere we go....
The Marshall Plan!
Let's start at the beginning with the seeds of a plan being
formulated on a wet day.... in Swalecliffe! The first few sentences
of George's account have been extracted from the Simply Whitstable
Visitors Book.....
| My wife (Marion), three daughters and I were "10
Pound Poms".
In 1967, I was a carpenter and joiner working for two
great guys - Ashby and Castle (Bert & John). I was
doing a job at Swalecliffe with Ronnie Revell and toasting
our cheese sammies on a fire with a bit of metallic lathe
in the middle of August. It was so cold and raining
hard. Reading the paper, I saw this ad to "Come
to Sunny Western Australia". So, I filled it
in and posted it on the way home.
Six months later, we were on the high seas to our new
home!
George T Marshall
|
In post war years (1945-1972), the "Ten Pound Pom"
scheme provided a one way passage to Australia for a
tenner and , during that period, approximately one million people
joined the exodus. A more expensive scheme existed for New Zealand.
In fact, another of our contributors, Bob Court, has pointed out
that his journey to NZ cost a whole £20!.
Setting Sail.... and Charting a
Route
Since 1972, emigration has usually been achieved by a swift trip
with British Airways or Qantas... but, back in 1968, it was a more
relaxed 4-5 week cruise by sea. Thanks to George's mementoes, we can
get a glimpse of what was involved.
The small emigration fee provided George and the family with this
"life changing" passenger ticket....
It also provided a bit of democracy. Notice that tickets were
"One Class" whereas even today, liners often divide
passengers into two or three groupings depending on the ticket
price..
The family were booked onto RHMS Ellinis and George has carefully
preserved this post card of the vessel....
Like many other ships, the Ellinis became quite famous for its
role in the emigration scheme. In fact, from 1963, it operated a 'round
the world service' - proceeding from Southampton to
Australia and New Zealand via the Mediterranean and Suez Canal....
before returning to the UK via Central America and the Panama Canal.
However, by the time the Marshall family made their journey in 1968,
the Ellinis was being forced to take a rather different route as
George explains ....
| The Suez Canal was closed
due to the 6-Day War and sunken ships.
We left Southampton on Friday the 8th March 1968 and
called at Las Palmas on Gran Canaria (where we spent a day)
and Cape Town (South Africa) before arriving at Fremantle (a
major port just 20 kms south of Perth, Western Australia) on
1 April.
George T Marshall |
The 6-Day War had taken place in June 1967 and the impact on the
Middle East was long lasting. In fact, Egyptian troops blockaded the
Suez Canal until June 1975.
The Journey...
The ship's RHMS title is interesting as I believe
it stands for Royal Hellenic Mail Ship. This gives us
a clue as to one of its functions. (In those days, a considerable
amount of correspondence still travelled by sea). It also tells us
something about the ship's owners - the Chandris Line. Basically,
Hellenic means Greek. The Chandris Line was
founded in the Greek islands but, by 1968, it had become a
London-based enterprise.
The reference to "mail" might give younger readers the
impression that it was something of a cargo ship. However, that was
not the case. Like other ships involved in the "Ten Pound
Pom" scheme, it was originally a cruise liner and it
was still used for that purpose at times. Thus, it provided a
relaxed trip for George, Marion and the family....
The Family on board the RHMS Ellinis
It even had a pool for the youngsters...
Linda (aged 3), Sheree (aged 4) and Lorraine (aged 5)
... and entertainment for the whole family......
Mind you, it wasn't without its problems for
children! Schooling was available for a short time each day!
There was a set dinner menu....
 |
.... and it included an interesting note at
the top.
The Chandris Line appears to have numbered
the voyages. I am only guessing but, with the service
starting in 1963, it could be that the Ellinis averaged as
many as 4/5 tours to the Antipodes per year
|
The final approach to Fremantle was marked by
a more exotic "Farewell" menu - arranged in a way that
would provide a permanent reminder of the ship's name.
All this makes me wonder about the size of the
Farewell Dinner menu on another of the Chandris Line migrant
ships..... the Queen Frederica!
Arrival...
When the family disembarked, things didn't quite match up to that
"Come to Sunny Western Australia" ad that George
had read in Swalecliffe.....
|
When we arrived on the morning of 1
April, it was, of all things, raining hard!
George T Marshall
|
.... and arrangements didn't quite run to plan either....
|
Our family and another family must
have been forgotten as we were still at the docks at 11 pm
that night.... and it was still raining!
Then, a bus arrived to take us all to
Point Walter Hostel. The children were
starving as we had very little money with us and had not
had a meal since breakfast time. We had cold potatoes,
sausages and eggs - not much but it sure went down well.
George T
Marshall
|
There was even more heartache when accommodation proved to be a
bit more basic than anticipated....
| We were taken to our little hut. The guy said
this is "not Buckingham Palace but the best we can
do".
The Hut at Point Walter Hostel.
When he opened the door, we could see most of the walls
were red. We assumed that some one had been busy with
a paint brush but how wrong we were. We soon learned that it
was mozzie blood.
What had we come to? No wonder Marion my wife cried -
after having the "second top" class cabin on the Ellinis.
George T Marshall |
Settling In.....
It all took some getting used to and there were some immediate
priorities....
|
My.... was it different from Whitstable. Australia must
have been 10 years behind - so much open space and so many
flies. You just kept your mouth shut to avoid eating them.
The first thing you had to buy was a set of wheels to
get around in - not only for work but also to get to the
shops. Next was a fridge to keep the food and milk in to
beat the heat.
George T Marshall
|
There was also the question of finding a permanent
home.....
| Our first home cost just 5000 pounds in
1968....
Western Australia is nearly all sand, not
good old dirt.
George T
Marshall |
And Forty Years
On....
Quite understandably, some adjustments spanned a
much longer time frame....
|
It took Marion about 10 years to settle down.
George T Marshall
|
Faced with the reality of emigration, quite a few
participants in the "Ten Pound Pom" scheme
returned home... via an unsubsidised ticket and considerable cost
(at one time this was around £150). However George, Marion, Sheree,
Lorraine and Linda stayed to forge a new life in Perth and they are
still there.... forty years on. I'll leave the last word with
George...
| I think that we could write a book about our ups and downs
in Australia since 1968, but all the girls are now
married and have children of their own.
Above:
The Marshalls in March 1968
Below: The Marshalls in March 2008
So, life goes on. But what an adventure it has been
over the years.
George T Marshall |
Our Thanks....
On behalf of all Simply Whitstable readers, I would
like to thank George, Marion, Sheree, Lorraine and Linda for sharing
their story with us and for making all those photos and mementoes
available for use on.... Natives Abroad!
|
