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Betty George, whose maiden name was Hutchins, was born at Birmingham in 1933. She lived in Highgate Street in the suburb of Balsall Heath, and went to St Patrick's School in the same road.
The family later moved to Mosely Road nearby and Betty's next school was St Alban's in Leopold Street. She recalls having two other addresses: Billingsley Road, Sheldon and Ladycroft, Ladywood before emigrating to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Betty has fond memories of her cousins from the Hutchins family and also members of the Price family. Other people who figure significantly in her thoughts include: Jean Taylor and her cousin Joan Wood; Lilly Davis and Betty Hodges.
It's hard to begin after nearly 70 years of my life gone, Betty reminisces, I have so many stories to tell. I and my husband Ray love England but decided to come to Australia to bring our 6 children up.
It was New Year's Eve, we had been to a party and had a few drinks, then decided maybe Aussie was a good place to come. So off I went, a few days later, to get all the info filled in all the paper work and got things moving.
After about 18 months we got a sailing date: 16th March. We came out here on the Arcadia ship, which to us was the first thing in luxury, going through the Pacific Ocean, calling at Greece and being fed all the best food.
We even had the children looked after, called at Port Said, then on to Columbo. It was great but our folks back in England thought we were mad doing this with such a large family.
We arrived in Aussie in April 1962. All this cost us £10. What a bargain. For the next four years we suffered for it living on a hostel. After the first few weeks I got terrible home sick and another baby arrived, my little Aussie.
Eventually we moved off the hostel and into our own house, then things began to look up. We stayed in that house for 32 years. We still keep in contact with people we met on the boat also those we met in the hostel, and have been good friends over the years.
My children are all grown up and have done well in life, and so have my grandchildren. One of my sons went to Atlanta to represent Oz in the Olympics, and also carried the torch for the Olympic and Para Olympics.
We have returned to Birmingham four times over the years, the last time being 1995 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the end of the war. I will always have fond memories of that.
I suppose we have seen more of England since we left than we would have if we had stayed. My husband even played golf at St Andrew's.
There were many people who returned to England as they could not settle here .We often wonder what happened to them. We have a Brit Fest here every November, and it is wonderful when we all wave the Union Jack and sing Land of Hope and Glory.
There will always be an England. Enough of my prattle. Cheers, Betty George, New South Wales, Australia.
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