Philip, Anne and Ken
On Saturday morning, May 20 2023 i gave a presentation on My Message in a Bottle talk at Sans Souci Library, Sydney. I would like to thank Bayside Council, Sydney staff for the presentation of the flyer , and the overall organisation involved with such a presentation. Refreshments were served at the conclusion of my talk.
Councillors Andrew Tsounis and Liz Barlow attended from Bayside Council , and Councillor Nick Katris from Georges River Council . The Mayor, Christina Curry was an apology. A former Legal Studies student of mine from 2011, Jemma Payne, who now lives in Canberra, attended with her mother. And the former Language Head Teacher from St George Girls High School, Ken Jagelman attended with friends. Local community members also attended.
An interesting point raised in questions / discussion after my talk, was “how did people meet in those pre –Tinder times to find a suitable wife/ husband?” My Glaswegian grandfather came to Sydney from Liverpool in 1909. Grannie also came from Glasgow .She travelled by train to London, and then sailed third class on a steamer , the Pakeha , from London via Cape Town , South Africa. Grannie arrived in Sydney April 23,1912 and married the next day at The Presbyterian Manse, Balmain in Sydney . Her wedding dress was in her luggage.
A couple of people of Greek background, who were in attendance on Saturday morning, explained how their grandparents or parents met . A photo of the man would be sent to the Greek village in order to find a wife. Some women in Greece married by proxy, and had to live with their in-laws until such time that they immigrated . The women came to Australia to marry or to be with someone that they had never met .
My Message in A Bottle story will be published in the June 2023 edition of the Australian Maritime Museum magazine , Signals .
I would love my story of a Message in a Bottle to come alive as a documentary . It is a story of family history , immigration , ocean currents , economic history, immigrant ships , shipping routes , but most of all bravery and a sense of adventure from our early immigrants.
Anne Field
Kogarah
May 23 2023.
