Early in the antipodean Spring of 1973 I stood on the deck of an old passenger ship, Ellinis, as it sailed through the heads of Sydney Harbour and made its way slowly towards the iconic Bridge and Opera House. It was the end of a … Continue reading Arrival
Tag: Australia
Alice Hickson 1872-1962?
Who was Alice Hickson? Alice Hickson was Dad’s grandmother. She was born in 1872 in Waterloo, in the inner suburbs of Sydney. She married William Ross in 1895 and they had five daughters, one of whom was my grandmother, Winifred Ross, Dad’s mother. Although Dad … Continue reading Alice Hickson 1872-1962?
Arriving in Sydney 1855
The Fischer family, migrants from Germany, arrived in Sydney on board the sailing ship Caesar in March 1855. It was a different sort of arrival to ours in Sydney Harbour in 1973, having sailed on the Ellinis from Southampton. We had been at sea for … Continue reading Arriving in Sydney 1855
Eden: oysters and chickens
The Caesar made its first landfall in Australia at Twofold Bay, near Eden on the south coast of NSW. Ernst Middendorf's relief is palpable, and understandable in light of the length of the voyage that preceded it. Like generations of Europeans since then, he is … Continue reading Eden: oysters and chickens
The joy and the pain of nationality
Last night I watched the WW1 film, Passchendaele. It is a film about relationships, and the effect that war has on them. Not just that, but it is about family and identity, a film that asks questions about who we are and the decisions we … Continue reading The joy and the pain of nationality
Forgotten tales 