SIXTY YEARS

 It is sixty years since I arrived in Auckland.  I was working in Knightsbridge and after talking to someone who was emigrating I booked my passage.  Didn't really think it through, just booked.  My mother came up to London with me to see me off and, in her usual fashion, encouraged me to keep buying things.  Polaroid cameras were the new thing and there were salespeople in the street taking photos and trying to persuade people to buy.  Of course, my mother wanted me to buy one as well as a cine camera.  I did buy the cine camera but stood up to her on the polaroid.  I was worried about arriving in New Zealand on my own with no money.  It didn't seem to worry her. 

My brother also came to see me off.  Somewhere I have one of the polaroid photos taken to tempt me and one of my father as I was leaving home in Worthing.  

We sailed to Bilbao, then through the Panama Canal stopping in Tahiti. After Tahiti we hit severe storms.  Every car on board was a write off and the bow had a great chunk of heavy steel ripped.  All entertainment and the final ball were cancelled and very few people were going to the Dining Room for meals.  Luckily I was fine.  I can remember you had to hold on to your meal to stop it sliding off the table.  Max could remember seeing it on the nightly News.

So it is sixty years since I arrived in Auckland and my new life began.  A pretty good life.