1958 Arrival of Fiona

The Diaries of Russell James Sparrow 1908 to 1991

When the bombs dropped in Needham High Street the stained glass windows were blasted out of the Chapel. We were responsible for having new ones made and fitted and on March 24th these were dedicated. David and Lynn Keen visited us in March and again in May along with Gran Keen for Jean and Colin’s wedding on May 11th. The service was at Creeting Church, the reception at The Lime’s and the fun and games when the happy pair departed for their honeymoon all made up to a very happy day. Later in the month we took the Whiteheads with us for a week in the Y.M. in Scarborough.

Jean and Colin were now living in a flat in Graham Road, Hackney and we spent a weekend with them in June and again in August when we took Jean’s piano with us in a brand new Austin truck recently acquired by F.Sparrow & Sons Ltd. On the Saturday we all went to the Festival Hall to see ‘Coppelia’, travelling in the truck. We went to see Jean again in November and called to see Colin in Chelmsford on the way home and Christmas was spent at home.

The fulfilment of years and years of dreams of all the people of Needham Market came about on January 29th when the sewage works were opened. But alas, ‘Whoopey’s’ cart was still functioning, and did so for some time until all the properties were connected to the system. We had a weekend with Jean in February, and Grandad Sparrow went into hospital to have his appendix removed, aged 80! On March 24th Jean and Colin came for the weekend and we all went to Jill and Tony’s wedding on the 29th. Doff went to Denham College run by the Women’s Institute for a few days in April. We went to Southsea for the W.E. of May 2nd, dropping Jean off in London on the

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way and calling in on the way back. Mick who had been stationed in Gibraltar came home on carnival day, May 24th and then on June 23rd Fiona was born at The London Hospital. The three of them came to Needham for a holiday in July and on 14th September Fiona was christened at Hackney Parish Church. We had been house-hunting with and for Mick and eventually settled on 71, Heath Road in Ipswich.

In November it was Mick’s 21st birthday and to celebrate we spent the weekend in London with Jean, C. and F. and we all went to see ‘Around the World in 80 days’ at The Odeon, Leicester Square. Jean and Fiona came to stay with us in Needham for 6 months while Colin did House jobs in King George’s Hospital. Ilford and in December we took them with us for a holiday in Eastbourne. On the way home we picked Colin up and he spent part of Christmas with us before going back to King George’s.

Jean went to The Albert Hall with Lynn on 18th March for Colin’s graduation ceremony. Later on in June Jean and Fiona went to Southsea to stay with Colin’s parents until they found rented accommodation in Bosham, Sussex while Colin was doBosham Xmas 1959 ing House jobs in Chichester where we visited them later in October.

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The Diaries of Russell James Sparrow 1908 to 1991

Doff and I went to Paris for the Easter weekend and had a jolly good look around with a bonus of a very rough crossing on the homeward bound journey! In August I bought a Wolseley 4/44, later in the month we did a coach tour of Scotland with the Whiteheads. Jean and Fiona came to stay with us while waiting to join Colin in the Far East. On 4th September we took Jean and Fiona to Brompton Road to catch the bus to Stansted en route for Kuala Lumpur. We went to Burgh Heath for the weekend in December calling to spend a day with Viv and Willy at Charlwood before returning to spend Christmas at home.

This year we visited Chirk to see the Offords, John, Graham and Bernard and then on to Llangollen before driving up to Snowdonia. In July we went to Holland and Germany for our holiday, touring by coach from Arnhem. We had an enjoyable time and two good crossings on the ferry from and back to Harwich. Jean, Colin and Fiona were now living in Hong Kong but to our surprise and delight came home for a few days as Colin was sent back to U.K. for a conference to do with Mountain Rescue teams. Unfortunately they were offloaded in El Adam and Colin missed the conference. Very sadly shortly before they arrived we heard that John Morris (neighbour) had been killed in an air accident in Cypress and I had the unhappy task of telling Frank his father. John was buried on the island and at 9 a.m. on the morning of his funeral Mr. and Mrs. Morris, Doff and I went to Creeting Church.

Another grandchild arrived on March 18th. Andrew was born in Hong Kong at the Military Hospital on the island. Later in the year we had our first taste of the Lake District when we went up to Ambleside for the Easter weekend. We did a lot in a little time including a visit to Colin’s Aunt and Uncle. It took us 14 hours to get 65

The Diaries of Russell James Sparrow 1908 to 1991

home on the Monday due to lengthy hold-ups in Ullerton and Newark. Ipswich Town won the first division championship in their first season in that league by beating Aston Villa 2-0 on 28th April. Great rejoicing near and far! F.Sparrow & Sons decided to give Gt. Yarmouth a miss for their anniversary outing and instead went to London Airport and the Palladium (Bruce Forsyth). We went to Ambleside for our holiday. Mr and Mrs Jim Stirling and Andrew stayed with us for a week-end in August when he was preaching at Chapel,”with a view” and again in November after he had been invited to become our Minister. At the end of September we went to Eastbourne to help the Whiteheads to find a house for retirement We did two shows while we were there,”Waters of the Moon” and “Salad Days”.

Mick’s bungalow was being built at Westerfield and we did odd trips to watch progress. We went to Surrey for Xmas, spent Xmas day with Ethel and then we all went to Viv’s for Boxing Day.We had intended to go home the following day but 12 inches of snow fell on Boxing night and continued most of that day. We were unable to get the car out of Duncan Road. The next day Rufus and I managed to dig the car out and we eventually arrived home. This was the beginning of a very long spell of wintry weather which was to go on well into the New Year.

The year started with arctic like conditions for the whole of January and into part of February. The coldest night for 100 years was recorded on 21st January and numerous meetings were cancelled because of the conditions. A trying time for most people, but for builders, Ye Gods!!! Jim Stirling commenced his ministry on 6th January and then on 16th February we got up at the crack of dawn and made our way on snowy roads to Stansted Airport to meet Jean, Colin, Fiona and Andrew from Hong Kong. They went on to Drift End, Rowlands Castle, with David and Lynn and then came to stay 66

The Diaries of Russell James Sparrow 1908 to 1991

with us on 27th until we installed them in 71, Heath Road, Ipswich on 2nd March. Andrew was christened at Creeting Church on 17th March and Colin was demobbed from the R.A.F. in June after a 3 year short service commision. In May Jean went into hospital for a few days for a biopsy, and the children stayed with us.

We were spending some time at Westerfield getting the bungalow ready for Mick and Mavis who got married on 10th August in Ipswich with Fiona as one of the bridesmaids. After some false alarms Heather was born on Sept. 17th in Heath Road hospital and Doff and I spent a few days at No 71 with Colin, Fiona and Andrew. We had the family within easy reach for a change but I am sure we had no ideas or suspicions how far we would eventually travel to be near some of ‘em! Jean and Colin bought a house in Rayleigh, Essex and moved there when Heather was 10 days old. We had a busy end of year with my commitments as “Mayor’ and then went to Mick’s on Dec. 19th, on to Rayleigh until Xmas Eve when we went on to Banstead leaving Jean and the children at the London Hospital en route. They then went on to Drift End to spend Xmas with David and Lynn.

In December Auntie Alice slipped on the ice in her garden, was taken to Ipswich Hospital where she was diagnosed with a fractured femur and spent some weeks there. Later she was transferred to Hartismere Hospital in Eye and then eventually to Tattingstone Hospital, both of these were originally ‘workhouses’ which were taken over when the N.H.S. was formed in 1948. Heather was christened in the Parish Church in Rayleigh on March 1st. Doff and I spent a lot of time this year between visiting A.Alice, Westerfield Road and Rayleigh. Mick and Mavis parted company, Mick broke his leg playing football and spent some time in Rayleigh with Jean and family.

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The Diaries of Russell James Sparrow 1908 to 1991

Much of our spare time was spent visiting family and then on November 20th Jean, Colin, Fiona, Andrew and Heather flew from Heathrow to Australia. We went up to see them off and were joined by David and Lynn.

Christmas Day was spent at Mick’s and then on to Burgh Heath. We returned from there because of Grandma’s poor health and she was admitted to a Nursing Home in Barham on 30th Dec. where she collapsed and died shortly after arrival.

Grandma was buried on 4th January in Creeting St. Mary’s churchyard. Grandad was admitted to hospital 9th April and discharged 25th April. He became very ill and was admitted to hospital again at the end of May and died on 15th June. The funeral was attended not only by family but by representatives of all the organisations with which he had been associated. He was buried with Grandma in Creeting and had outlived her by only 5 months.

After the deaths it was good to get the news that on Dec. 2nd Sarah Elizabeth was born in Brisbane! 4th child for Jean and Colin.

This was the year that we spread our wings and flew to Australia. Before doing that life was hectic I can tell you because as well as all the responsibilities of the business we had our commitments to the W.I., Church, B.B.,Playing Field, Parish Council etc, to tidy up and pass on as well as emptying and letting our house, medicals, jabs etc. Uncle John died on 4th Feb. and we took A.Ciss and young John up with us to the funeral. Having visited Burgh Heath, Westerfield

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The Diaries of Russell James Sparrow 1908 to 1991

and Chelmondiston, our last night at Berryhead was 31st March. Wednesday 5th April Mick took us from Westerfield to Ipswich Station en route to Heathrow.

After some confusion at the airport, when it was decided to switch from the western route via U.S.A. to the eastern route via Singapore, we took off at 14.15. The first landing was in Kuwait which we left at 22.59 arriving in Colombo at 0800. Here we had breakfast under the trees in delightful surroundings. We took off at 0910 arriving in Singapore at 1500 and after a quick look round were airborne again at 1700 bound for Aussieland where we arrived in Darwin 0015 (0830 Aussie time). Before we left the aircraft we were subjected to the indignity of being sprayed from aerosol containers to kill all foreign germs. As one passenger aptly put it “like a lot of bloody chickens with fowl pest”. However they gave us a good breakfast,by this time we didn’t know if we were having tea, supper, dinner or what, so we accepted each meal with grateful thanks. Leaving Darwin at 9.30 we flew to Melbourne over the wild desert wasteland with a fine view of Alice Springs and Ayers Rock. We touched down at Melbourne at 15.45 and as this was the end of the official trip from the U.K. and it was too

The Gap – Sparrows arrival

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The Diaries of Russell James Sparrow 1908 to 1991

late to arrange for us to go to Brisbane that day, we spent the night in an immigration hostel in Myabigong. We went there by taxi and went through the main gates and past the keeper’s lodge. We were dropped off at a wooden hut divided into rooms and we had a room of our own with bunk beds, wash basin, table, hot water jug and tea bags. We found our way to the ‘cookhouse’ in the dark. It was bedlam! Families from all over the world, talking or shouting in their own tongue, the clatter of crockery, children tearing about- ye Gods! We lined up for our meal and when it was over we lined up to wash up. We went back to our little wooden hut, made some tea and turned in.(Travel time from Heathrow to Brisbane, 4 days, 3 nights, 39 hours airborne in 7 stages).

After breakfast a taxi picked us up at 1000 and took us to the airport. It transpired that to most of the families at the hostel it was home because they had been there for some time waiting for jobs, which we found were not nearly as plentiful as we had been led to believe. It was an eye opening experience and something we wouldn’t have missed. In fact later on Mum said she enjoyed it. We took off from Melbourne at 1100, changed planes at Sydney and left there at 1300 eventually arriving at Brisbane at 1530 on Saturday, April 8th.

We were met by the Keens all lined up to greet us, and what a welcome! A lovely drive from the airport through the city to Shalmar Street the home of the Keens, a lovely spot and so many things for us to see and hear. We were both suffering a bit from jet-lag but Mum was O.K. because she had been well and truly sedated before we started. However we soon settled in and the next day, Sunday we went into Brisbane to the Botanical Gardens. We made frequent trips to Kenmore where Jean and Colin were having a house built, most interesting from my point of view to be able to see different methods of construction and types of materials used, especially timber.

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Doff and I went into the city on our own several times to find our way around and to make various enquiries etc. We tried out all the churches and made up our minds that if we did decide to stay on that the City Congregational would be the one for us. We saw our first ANZAC Day parade on April 25th, we were taken into the country where we saw the giant ant hills and of course the Gum trees. On a tour of the coastal region we came across familiar names like Margate, Brighton, Scarborough. We had a day with the McMillans at Esk, really out in the country where we saw our first wallaby and pelican. It was the Australian autumn and still very warm. After a few weeks we decided to stay on and that meant looking for a job and a permanent home. I went to the Labour Exchange and found that there were plenty there looking for employment, a large number of them Immigrants who had been told that jobs were plentiful. I applied for jobs advertised in the press without success but eventually struck oil when I asked Rees Thomas (the church Minister) if he had any ideas. He put me in touch with one of the church deacons who was the boss of Premier Blinds and he agreed to see me on May 18th. He told me about the firm, a large one serving all of Queensland and some of New South Wales. They manufactured and fitted blinds of all sorts for all types of properties, residential and commercial, prisons, hospitals etc.The decision to take me on would have to be made by the manager, I met him and we had a chat and then he asked me to prove my driving ability by taking a Holden “Ute” round the city streets. he would contact me the next day.

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