John (“Jack”) Simpson was one of the quiet ones. In a taped
interview called How I spent my first
£12, he talked about his coming to
this country, and the following has been put together from the transcript of
that interview……….
Unemployed in Liverpool, and after wasting time
tramping up and down the wharves looking for work, along the main street Jack
saw a sign “Join the Army”. He tried,
but being still only 17 years of age, he was knocked back. Then further along
the main street there was another sign, from the Liverpool Education Committee,
“Join the World – Go to Canada or See
Australia.” As Jack puts it ‘I went and saw the Liverpool education
people……….I passed my medical……we got in…..they told me we were going to
Australia – Your choice, OK? They sent
me to a hostel where we used to go out every day to a farm, and learn the
rudiments of farm life. Then all of a sudden we are going to Australia, cost £12.
We are going on Christmas Eve……..from Southampton.’
Jack
Simpson left England on 24 December 1928
on the Largs Bay, one of the Aberdeen Commonwealth Line ships. ‘I made
friends with other boys on the boat and we had a wonderful trip! We sailed
across the Bay of Biscay…..it was like a pancake. Down the Mediterranean into
the Suez Canal to Colombo and down the Indian Ocean to Aussie. But the Great
Australian Bight was rough as bags, the boys were nearly all sea-sick.’ For
much of the trip, Jack was plagued with tooth-ache, but found it was useful to
have his bible (his deck of cards)
with him. Prior to reaching Fremantle the boys were each paid £2 landing money.
The Largs Bay arrived in Sydney at 9pm on 4th March 1929, and the
next morning they disembarked. ‘We landed and had to climb up and over the
approach to the new Harbour Bridge, and then went to the Department of Labour
and Industry. We went in there, we were all sat around and introduced to a big brass boss…… He said Where does everyone want to go? That was
where the fun started because nobody knew where they were going!’
Then
Jack spoke up ‘I have information that my father was married to a girl, his
second wife, who came from Cardiff, and her brothers lived at place called
Cedar Point.’ The response was immediate, Wonderful
information, that’s the kind of thing we want. Now we will get the map out and
find out where Cedar Point is. This was done and showed that Wollongbar was
the nearest training place, and another seven boys were picked to go with Jack.
Jack
says ‘We didn’t know we were blessed, we went up North and got a wonderful
place at Wollongbar Experimental Farm.’
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After
training, Jack Simpson was placed on a farm out between Lismore and Cedar
Point. He lived in Tweed and Gold Coast areas for many years, and passed away
on 5th January 2009, aged 97 years.
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