Nottinghamshire to Boolambayte.

This is Pat's story of life as an English immigrant after World War 2.

In England after the war, there was ample evidence of the six years of conflict. Many parts of the country had been bombed and London was a prime target for them bombing blitz. Bomb craters near St Paul's Cathedral were still evident in the early 1960’s.

It was not unreasonable therefore for a family in Northern England having lived through food rationing, constant blackouts and  air raid sirens to want to relocate to a land of opportunity and get far away from dense traffic and the hustle and bustle of Europe.

The Hanson family, being dad mum and three girls embarked from Southampton in February 1952.The voyage across the ocean via Suez Canal and India would have taken nearly a month. Crossing the equator was a special treat for the youngsters in those days in that King Neptune (one of the crew) dressed in his robes and carrying a pitchfork performed the crossing ceremony. During that voyage a signal was received on the ships radio from London announcing the death of King George VI .

Pat was the eldest born on 27th July 1938 closely followed by Joyce on 14th August 1939 in the year that World War 2 was declared by Winston Churchill. Susan the youngest was born in the midst of the conflict on 29th January 1941.

The arrival of the family in Australia was prearranged with a mining company in Glen Davis near Lithgow on the great Dividing Range. Dad worked in the mine for a short period of time before he decided to make a major career change.

Mr Hanson bought a 4 stand dairy and Jersey herd in Boolambayte just across the creek from the Squires who had been in the area since the early pioneering days.

The girls were educated by correspondence because of the distance away from the nearest High School at Taree or Raymond Terrace.

Pat married Ernie the neighbour's son after a long courtship. The two properties were separated by a creek which from time to time became swollen and impassable by swirling floodwaters. In spite of the floodwaters not much could dissuade the future groom from crossing that creek during the courtship. Pat and Ernie married in St John's Bulahdelah in 1956. There was no a honeymoon, there was farm work to be done and a home to establish in a spare cottage on the Squires property.

Pat remembers the family, a Land Rover in the days when the tractor overtook the horse. Pop Hanson used his horses Flika and Dolly, (Flika was his riding horse also) right up until the time Pat married. Clover, Rye and Turnips would by grown as winter fodder and ploughed in to prepare for the following year.

Ernie worked in the forests around Bulahdelah cutting railway sleepers to supplement his farm income from the dairy. The excellent hardwood (including Blackbutt, and Flooded Gum) timber cut from the Mid North Coast forests helped to build the Ports of Sydney and Newcastle. Tallowwood was and still is sought after for flooring as it retains a sap that preserves it from dry rot.

Ernie's mother belonged to the Worth family. The family had been pioneers in the area. Mr Worth had the mail run to Nabiac.

 Arthur Hanson had bought Ken Newman's Dairy Farm to establish his family's roots in Australia. He pasture improved it with horse power as was done just after the war. The little grey Fergie didn't arrive on the Hanson farm until many years later. 

Pat remembers that in his spare time Ernie ran a herd of cows and raised a few crops when the season favoured it. Pat was kept exceedingly busy in her early years being a milkmaid as well as raising a family, she had Kevin and Wendy. Wendy married and has blessed Pat with two grandchildren Trudy (August 1996) and Bradley (July 1997) who live in Taree  

Since Ernie died in 1998, Pat has become involved in many community activities, in 2004 she represents Bulahdelah CWA on international affairs; is an Anglican Parish Councillor: and operates the Anglican OpShop among her many other activities.