A FRESH START
My Parents were happy to have us stay in their home until we could find one of our own. This wasn’t going to be easy. With no building during the war and many thousands of young men being demobilised anxious to get married and start a family housing was in short supply. In the first couple of months I worked for two companies which enabled me to “cut my teeth” in the Sales world but there was obviously no real future with them. I was then introduced to a Director of Bibbys a large firm whose business was mainly cattle food. They had a subsidiary company manufacturing soaps. He pointed out that they normally employed trainee Salesmen under the age of 23 but in view of the fact I had taken the trouble to pay for some training he would be prepared to take me on. The problem was my salary would be at the trainee rate of £6 per week until I was appointed to a District which normally took 3 to 5 years. I quickly figured that if I sold my car we could manage to survive for a year or two and I had enough confidence in myself that I would prove ready for promotion earlier than the norm.
Under the supervision of a senior Salesman I tramped around the streets of the poorer districts of Liverpool selling to small shops. In the middle of 1951 I was asked to head a team of three trainee Salesmen to launch a new product in Coventry. I learnt a lot about Sales Promotion and the campaign proved very successful. A few months later I was given the task of taking over the County of Durham whilst the Salesman there was in hospital. Travelling by train and bus to the various towns and villages was not easy but I was allowed to go home each week end with all expenses paid. After 3 months the Salesman, in his early 60’s had a heart attack and I was offered the district on a permanent basis. Now provided with a car I bought a house and moved the family to our new home. Salary was still low but I was also earning commission which helped pay the mortgage and second loan I’d had to take out. I took a week end job as a waiter in a Pub at week ends which helped. Life was difficult but improving and I had a feeling of satisfaction with what I had achieved in less than two years since leaving Germany.
In 1952 my mother and two sisters emigrated to Australia and my mother urged me to join them. It appeared to be a big step to take when I had a good job into which I was settling, house and car so refused. Two years later the prospect appeared to be more interesting. I was well established now in my job but looking at the future opportunities for advancement in the Company seemed limited. The country was still struggling to pay off the debts of the war and I saw few prospects for the future of my children. I decided a move in my career was due so I may as well take the plunge and go to Australia where my mother said there were plenty of opportunities.
A Travel Agent said it would be at least 12 months before I could get a berth on a ship and suggested I apply under the Migration scheme. Although there would be an indeterminate waiting period I took a chance and put the house up for sale, gave notice to the Company without revealing my plans. This brought a visit from the Sales Director who took me out to dinner and promised me an increase of half of as much again in salary and a new car if I stayed. It was a great boost to my moral and I told him had the offer been made a couple of months earlier I would probably have accepted but I had already arranged to go to Australia.
The house sold fairly quickly but the market was depressed due to house building catching up with demand and the price a few hundred less than I had paid. Repaying the mortgage and loan from the Company left me with very little. However I couldn’t refuse the demand from the wife that we visit her mother so we had two weeks in Germany. We had made arrangements to stay with her sister in Grimsby until our time arrived to leave for Australia. My guesswork as to that date proved to be accurate and a couple of days after we arrived in Grimsby there was a letter giving us details of our departure from Southampton on 2nd May. We had a stop over in London on the way to Southampton. So much had happened in the past couple of months it wasn’t until I relaxed over dinner the first night that I had a little time to think about the decision I had made to travel half way across the world. I had exactly £50 and a few coins in my pocket, some household goods in a couple of crates and a few clothes in suitcases. Another start to my life at the age of 34 in a new environment was a somewhat daunting prospect. I put doubts aside and decided to enjoy the trip. My mother and sisters met us at the dockside in Melbourne on 7th June 1955. Some necessary expenditure on the trip had left me with 32 shillings (3 cents – or taking inflation into consideration about $3. My mother had bought a boarding house so was able to accommodate us but I would obviously have to get a job in a hurry.
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