did you ever have the chance of being a ten pound pom?

All my relatives except my parents went out to Melbourne on the £10 pom. My cousin had her first birthday on the ship and was invited to sit in her high chair at the Captain's table.

I often wonder what it would have been like especially as they all did very well. Sadly I have lost touch with them all now.

I went out to Melbourne in early 60's to get married. Had met my Aussie husband while we were both working in Germany. Was shocked at how primitive it was compared with here. Luckily we only stayed a couple of years as, although my in-laws' family had been there for centuries, he was unhappy and never fitted back in so thankfully we left. He loves this country and won't even go back down under for a visit. Our children, who were born there, have no desire to go back there, either. Horses for courses, I suppose.

My father was a £10 Pom and he had everything organised to go but at the last minute, he was advised there was no accommodation for his wife and child so he was unable to go.
Years later, my husband and I did two camper van tours of Australia and loved the country so much for its wide open spaces and friendly people.We tried to get a work visa but by then we were too old.We had the skills (an engineer and a teacher in my case) but age was not on our side being then in our fifties.
I think this was a case of the one that got away!
Happy travelling everyone and see Australia if you can.

Two Uncles and their families emigrated in 1961. Initially they settled in Queensland. I have photos of them building a log cabin out in the Bush.
Looking back, I admire their determination. They and their wives and children were from an industrial suburb of Birmingham so hardly suited to the conditions there.

Talking to my cousins recently, it appears that one of my uncles was intent on emigrating and gave his wife an ultimatum. "Come with me or I'm going on my own."
With 3 children she had no choice.
She resented it all her life.

The brothers fell out after a few years so they split up and one family moved to New Zealand.
I think they all settled and had a good life. Not sure if it was any better than they would have had if they stayed in the UK but it was certainly different.

My mother's maternal Aunt Marianne or, possibly Mary Anne, emigrated with her family to Australia when my mother was a child. (Mum was born in 1911, so maybe not even a £10 Pom.) She wanted to help my grandmother, who had a very large family, and offered to adopt one of her older daughters. My grandmother refused. They remained in touch, although it must have taken ages for letters to travel such a distance.

I was young woman when some of Aunt Marianne's descendants visited England with their families. My aunties and cousins got on with them really well. As time has gone on we have lost touch as our older generation is no more.

Now that I live in New Zealand, they are all, of course, "just across the ditch" – the "ditch" being about 2,600 miles and a about 5 hours away by plane.

I think most who returned to the UK realised it was not for them very quickly. I had a Scottish friend who stayed here 20 odd years but went back to Scotland in the end. She never settled. A lot depends on where you live at first and who you meet I think. We were lucky in that respect and found people very warm and friendly. You do have to put yourselves out there,though and if you are the shy,retiring type things could be tricky.

Scribbles My story was similar to yours in that we were set to emigrate to NZ but my mother got pregnant again. She ended up with 6 of us so we never got there and I think there was a lot of regret as we were always financially struggling. A lot of people who did go seem to have been homesick and missed close family but all our family were within 40 miles and we rarely saw them so I can't imagine that would have made much difference. I guess we will never know.

My best friend went as a ten pound pom in the 1960s. I was tempted to follow her but I had just qualified as a librarian and found that I would be paid less than a man doing the same job. At least in the UK I earned the same salary for the same work. My friends went on to do very well for themselves and now run a big emu farm.

My aunt and uncle went in 1951, settled in Brisbane and opened a shop.She came back in 1956 when he died, but hated it here and soon went back, and stayed. We were all set to go in 1972, filled in all the forms, but my in laws carried on about never seeing us again, so in the end we didn`t go.

I think it was £25 when I went in the late 60s. I stayed 7 years then came back for a trip and met my husband and stayed here. I did love my time in Australia though as a single girl.

My father-in-law emigrated to Australia from London when he was ten. He too was bullied about his English accent, so lost it pretty quickly! Certainly when I knew him he sounded Australian.

I’ve loved reading the above stories. My parents emigrated to NZ in ‘58. My brother had his 1st birthday on the boat coming out, I was 5. My father was a teacher recruited by the NZ Govt to ease shortages. I never heard the expression 10 pound poms used in our situation, but I’m sure our passages were assisted. We came out via Panama and the Panama Canal, I remember a stop over there (the only one) clearly. Unfortunately my father didn’t settle here although my Mum did, he said he always felt different, I daresay his accent didn’t help. He had a lifelong sadness at leaving England, we felt his homesickness vividly. I feel a certain guilt that on the back of his unhappiness my Mum, brother and I have loved and are so grateful to have had the opportunity of living here. Having nothing to compare it to obviously makes it easier!
Having grandchildren of our own now, I can only but imagine of the heartache that such emigrations caused families left in the UK as young parents like mine left, and for so many never to return. Those blue aerograms being a substitute most treasured link to family back home. An awful lot was surrendered in search of a hoped for ‘better life’.

I remember a boy at my primary school in Wellington who had a British accent. He was called Alastair.
He was horribly teased. Poor lad. I hope he settled down ok.
When I arrived in London in 1958 I was teased bullied? about my accent .
The kids followed me home from school.
"Say something for us" . I hated it and was determined to lose my NZ accent.

My father and his friend wanted to go as did many of our neighbours. My mum wouldn't leave her family and neither would dad's friend's wife.
My cousin and her husband and children did I have photos of them on the ship going through the Suez Canal. They loved it moved around quite a bit and settled in N.S.W.
Another relation went to Queensland came back to England on holiday without his wife and never went back.
Which gave my mum ammunition for saying I told you so.

My parents were all set to go to New Zealand under the £10 scheme in 1955. I was five and they had carefully primed me so I was looking forward to a great adventure.

Then my mother got pregnant, completely unexpectedly. As she'd previously had two miscarriages, she decided she didn't want to leave her mother and her doctor until after the birth and so the plan was shelved.

It never got revived and, as a child, I secretly blamed my baby sister for depriving me of a great adventure!
Would my life have been better if I'd been raised as a Kiwi? I've no way of knowing - but I have no complaints about the way it's turned out here in England.

We got as far as Australia House but mums were unhappy so didnt go. Often wonder how it might have turned out.

My mum and dad were thinking about it, I was 15 and they asked me for my opinion. I said not as we were all doing well at school. Later in life 2 siblings moved to australia and there is always that deep yearning in them to return to the green green grass and history of the uk but they cannot now, they have children and grandchildren born in australia.

I remember when I was a teenager that my DB and SisIL wanted to go and seeing the brochures of the wonderful life and beautiful houses they would be able to buy.

They didn't go in the end and I think the reality was somewhat different for many who did.
Many members of both our families have gone to Australia and New Zealand, over many years from the 1900s onwards but none went as £10 POMS that I know of.

Thousands went out from Eastern Europe and Italy, too, from the 1930s through to the 1960s and 1970s.

I'm looking forward to the new series.

My best school friend and her family went in the mid 60s. We corresponded for many years. I was gutted when they went.

I know two families who went. Both came back

We did have the opportunity and my parents considered it but declined. Our neighbours over the road went this was in the 1960s.

In 1978, Dh and I also got resident's visas and had our flights paid. He was a dentist and was in great demand to replace the Aussies who were in the UK 'bashing the Nash' (NHS) - they returned home before they paid any tax.

We were offered a rent free house for a period while we decided where we would like to live.

The UK government of the day had started to renege on the Review Body pay recommendations.

In the event, we were placed in a hostel with no help at all. We bought a house, DH got a job and the children started school.

Then, DH's mother became ill, Christmas Day was hot (!!!!) and, as Terribull says, we missed the history and the 'proper' seasons.

DH was horrified at the reality of working with absolutely no NHS.

So we came home!

My husband's parents did. They met and married in Australia and he was born there.

They returned to visit family in the UK in the 60s and didn't have the money to go back.

Long after the £10 pom opportunity. Ex and I got resident's visas , this was late '70s. After a gruelling interview at Australia House where the interviewers wanted to know chapter and verse how much money we were bringing, prospective employment, sponsors, no state benefits for I think something like 7 years, and on and on, I was told by one terse interviewer "he'll be alright, he's already uprooted himself once" husband was from overseas, "but you could be a problem" I think it was their way of spelling out that a lot of those who seek to emigrate come back. I also remember we had to have our photos taken and there was a notice "please remove chains (jewellery) some bright spark had written on the wall "Those going to Botany Bay please note" which was the only part of the day that lifted my mood. Upshot was we went, tried it out and decided it wasn't for us. Apart from family, I would miss the sense of history we have living in the old world, and I think we both thought we would miss the seasons. I actually found endless heat and blue skies is something I appreciate in moderation, although I wouldn't mind some right now!

We were going to go when I was about three and I can’t remember the reason we didn’t but a cousin of mine and her family went in the 70s and were back within six months they couldn’t stand it..(have to say I am very glad we didn’t go. I can’t stand the heat and too many spiders and snakes for me.!!)