- Len and Mary took a chance to change their lives forever
- Travelling by sea from the UK to Australia, Len and Mary arrived in Sydney in 1966.
- This June will mark 60 years since settling down under as a 10 Pound Pom.
- Here Len Parsons, 92, Ashfield, NSW, tells his own story in his own words.
Sitting at the dinner table with my family, I cleared my throat nervously.
‘Kids, there’s something Mum and I need to talk to you about,’ I said, glancing at my wife, Mary.
My daughter Debbie, eight, and son Phillip, seven, looked up expectantly.
‘We’ve been talking about Australia for ages – how lovely the weather is, how friendly the people are – and well, we’re emigrating to Sydney!’
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Debbie burst into tears. ‘What about our friends?’
‘You’ll make new friends,’ Mary reassured her gently. ‘It’ll feel like home in no time.’
Mary and I had heard nothing but good things from people who’d already made the move – the open space, the sunshine, the sense that life felt a bit like being on holiday. I’d grown up in inner-city Fulham, one of eight kids in a cramped but happy council flat.
Now at 32, married with two children, my wife Mary and I had our own place – the bottom level of a terrace house. We had a great network, but long work hours, grey weather and the rising cost of living in London wore us down.
Then we heard about something called the Assisted Passage Migration Scheme. The government was encouraging people to move to Australia, and for 10 pounds per adult – with kids travelling free – you could emigrate, as long as you stayed for two years.
‘The rising cost of living in London wore us down’
We became known as 10 Pound Poms.
We didn’t have much money, but I worked full-time as a painter and decorator, and Mary was a telephonist. It felt like a now-or-never chance.
‘Be sure to write and tell us what it’s like,’ Mary’s mum, Louie, said, wiping away tears as she hugged us goodbye at Southampton Docks.
‘And if it’s nice, we’ll follow you out!’
Once we stepped aboard the SS Australis, excitement took over. The voyage took six weeks, there were big noisy dinners in the dining hall and friendships formed quickly with fellow migrants.
We were all in the same boat, literally and figuratively, and the mood was one of hope and anticipation.
‘We’re here!’ Phillip cried as the ship glided into Pyrmont on June 7, 1966. ‘Do you think we’ll see kangaroos?’
I’ll admit I was nervous. We had no home to go to and were sent to a migrant hostel at East Hills, about 26km south-west of Sydney.
It housed people from all backgrounds, though many were English like us.
We were housed in something called Nissen huts and they were basic – just beds and shared facilities – but they served their purpose.
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It poured with rain for our first three weeks and was much colder than we’d expected. Poor Phillip became very ill with hepatitis.
Within days I found work at the Streets Ice Cream factory in Turrella – a long walk and train ride each way.
Determined to get us out of the hostel, I took on a second job at an aquarium, cleaning and maintaining the tanks. Within months, we had enough for a deposit on a three-bedroom home in Penshurst. It cost around $9000.
The kids settled into school quickly and we made friends with the neighbours. Life felt easier.
Fresh fruit and vegetables were cheap and plentiful, and the kids had a freedom they’d never known. They’d ride off on their bikes in the morning and come home when the streetlights came on.
We love it here, Mary wrote to her mum.
‘The kids settled into school quickly and we made friends with the neighbours’
Just as she’d promised, Louie and her husband Charlie followed us out – along with two of my siblings and their families.
The kids wrote to their friends back home, who asked how far away the neighbours lived. The children teased them, saying 100 kilometres and that they rode kangaroos to school.
Then, after a decade in Oz, came a surprise we hadn’t expected – Mary was pregnant.
Our youngest, Kathleen, arrived 17 years after her brother.
Australia had well and truly become home.
Mary and I never lost our accents – the kids did – but we felt Australian. That is unless the cricket was on, then it was England all the way, even after I became a citizen.
The kids grew up and moved out. Sadly, my beloved Mary passed away at just 63. We were the loves of each other’s lives and I’ve never stopped missing her.
I returned to painting and decorating, and after retiring I lived with Kathleen for years, helping her raise her children.
More recently, as I’ve needed extra support myself, I moved into aged care.
This June marks 60 years since we docked in Sydney. I feel so grateful to be a 10 Pound Pom.
Today 10 quid is about $20 – can you imagine spending just $20 to change your life forever?
I see my children and grandchildren several times a week and my health is pretty good.
I’ll always be forever grateful for the wonderful opportunities and incredible life Australia has given me and my family.
Celebrating Australia’s 10 Pound Poms:
This limited-edition exclusive commemorative coin from The Bradford Mint celebrates Australia’s 10 Pound Poms.
Minted in the UK with ¼ ounce pure silver. It’s sold in a deluxe presentation box and comes with a certificate of authenticity.
To order, simply phone The Bradford Mint now on (02) 9841 3324.
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