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Letters
SS Oronsay Maybe someone is looking out for me because quite by chance I found your website. I am a retired lady living many years in spain & recently was given an english book to read. This made me aware that my father, who was in Australia in the 20`s, had been sent by the salvation army as a child migrant. He went back to uk in the 30`s & married my mother, but as he died when I was young, I knew little of his past. For the last few months I have been trying to find out about his time in Australia & paid into a web which told me that he had sailed on SS Vedic fom liverpool & disembarked in Melbourne in Dec.1925. A previous request to you was from a man called Ken who wrote, I think, in July 2006 who was asking for info on SS Oronsay. ("Father sailed in SS Oronsay?") At that time he said that his father had gone to victoria on the same ship, same date as mine! I have a full account of that voyage including passenger comments & conditions on board & the money handed over for that group of young men. But cannot find out where they were assigned from melbourne. Despite numerous e-mails to the Sal. Army including Hadleigh farm in essex where they were collected up before going to liverpool, they will only say that all records on child migration were destroyed (just as well they didnt have Magna Carta) So I intend to visit Australia later this year to see what I can find "on the spot". I imagine that many of that group remained in Australia & established families so I have been searching Australian military records, which gives place of birth & enlistment for some of the names, then onto the victorian telephone book to search for possible descendents. However "Ken" is my first substantial link & I hope I may be able to contact him via yourself. Although I appreciate that his e-mail address is personal to you, would it be possible for you to pass on MY e-mail to him? My(even older) sister & myself are the only ones now left who remember my dad & I am keen to record this little episode of our family history particularly as I am also a migrant in a foreign country. I realise that this enquiry is way out of your usual zone so I thank you for even reading this! Celia MacNiven
You probaly never expected to hear from me again, but Celia's email is self evident. Would you please contact her as she requests? Trust all goes well for you. Best regards. |
