Remembering the Forgotten Children

Yesterday the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, delivered a public apology to British children.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/7307854/Prime-Minister-apologises-to-child-migrants-for-scheme-that-robbed-them-of-childhood.html

In his House of Commons speech, Gordon Brown acknowledged a similar apology given by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in Canberra last year to these 'Forgotten Children'.

During the 20th Century, about 130,000 children of British working class were taken from their families and sent to the colonies of Australia, South Africa and Canada. Their parents (often single parents) signed over the rights to access their children, and steps were taken to prevent them contacting the children. Some children were told their parents were dead and heartfelt letters were never delivered. These children were kept in rural community institutions and worked on the farms intended to teach them skills to work in agriculture.

In reality, most left school at the minimum age of 14, and, without capital, very few ever became farmers. When my own family arrived in Australia, on 14 May, 1966, we were met at Melbourne's Station Pier by representatives of the Lady Northcote Children's Farm. We boarded a bus and were transported to the Parwan Valley, 11 miles south-west of Bacchus Marsh. About 140 UK migrant children and Australian 'Wards of the State' lived at Northcote, many for their entire childhood.

The next morning I awoke to the warble sound of magpies on the gum trees outside the dormitory in Gungelo house, which was to be my home for the next 2 years. Some nights I would go to sleep listening on a crystal radio, with wire attached to the metal fittings on the window above my bed.

A few years back, I was invited to attend a reunion of Old Northcotians. These people have had it tough in life, and in many ways they were reuniting as a large family - a poor substitute for the family they never had. For me, however, I felt like an imposter, with no right to be there. Northcote was an important chapter in my life, but not the painful one that many others suffered. I was but a temporary visitor to this institution, which was to be my introduction to life in Australia.

This public apology may go some way to healing the long pain felt by many, whose lives were traumatised by this injustice.

Taking our annual Bath

When we first researched sites to visit while here in England, Bath was near the top of the list as a must-see place. This spa town, popular with the Romans and rediscovered by the Victorians, should be high on anyone's list.

Hot spring waters from underground geothermal rocks rise to the surface to fill pools that became a playground and healing source in this spa resort city. Local heritage groups have contained development so that building exteriors are consistently made of the local creamy Bath stone. This has preserved this town and makes it a delight to visit.
Convinced of their healing powers, some come to drink and partake of the waters, but to me it just tasted like putrid crap. Those who drink this stuff must be in search of miraculous powers from this foul mineral water.

Jane Austen is one of Bath's favoured daughters, although the tour was perhaps only for her book lovers, and a struggle for those not so well-read (interested). She lived in Bath for five years and set two novels here.

The teacake Sally Lunn Bun is another Bath specialty. Unfortunately for us, the popular and irreverent Bizarre Bath comedy walk does not operate until the springtime. We shall have to return just for this highly regarded and entertaining street walking tour.

There is a BBC documentary program about Britons who have renovated old churches, factories or other unusual buildings. We stayed in one of these type of places near Bath; a converted barn with stonework walls. Although small, it was tastefully developed, with a new kitchen and bedrooms up a creaky staircase. This unusual renovation made it pleasant place to stay for a weekend.

First European Adventure - Austria

Mid-term breaks are a wonderful English school custom that are well appreciated by one and all. It means that we are never more than 6 weeks from a welcome break to enjoy places further afield. Our initial planning was to stay south and avoid the Northern winter, but once we arrived and found ways to keep warm, we rethought (rethinked / rethunk?), um ... reconsidered instead to embrace the winter, not fear it.
So, Elise and I took our first cheap flight, courtesy of Ryanair, and visited Salzburg. Meanwhile, Anne attended a life-changing musical visit to Kecskemét, Hungary, the original home of Kodaly music education. Cameron joined us for his last few days before returning home today.

Salzburg is an amazing place, famous for many things - Mozart, Maria Von Trapp, mining salt and mighty Red Bull. And as the tourist T-shirt reads - There are no kangaroos in Austria.
This city has miraculously preserved its Baroque heritage, and is a fine place to visit. As Lonely Planet amusingly says about Salzburg - "If it ain't Barok, don't fix it." We visited the birthplace of my favourite composer and attended a glorious Mozart concert / dinner, comprising a quintet playing opera excerpts from Magic Flute and Figaro, and of course Eine Kleine Nachtmusik just had to get some airplay.

Tours of the Sound of Music scenes and the Hallein salt mine (the salt mineral Halite takes its name from this town) are worthwhile, and we also managed to squeeze in a sunny day's skiing in mountainous Flachau.

These Hills ARE alive with the Sounds of Mozart.

A tiny town deserving World Heritage status

Ironbridge is a small historic town located just north-west of Birmingham. It has a world's first - it's famous bridge made of cast iron, which opened in 1780.

In the late 1700’s, Coalbrookdale was a centre of iron production, after Abraham Darby developed a cheaper extraction method. The underlying geology of this area laid down the ideal conditions for the establishment of an industry waiting to happen. By fortuitous coincidence, this valley had significant mineable deposits of coal, iron ore, limestone and clay.

The Blast Furnace, studied by most school Chemistry students, requires three essential minerals:
• the raw material Iron ore
• Coal (converted to coke) for the high temperatures needed to reduce the iron, and
• Limestone, which is used to convert the waste to a substance that can be separated from the molten iron.
And the valley of Coalbrookdale had all these materials available in abundance; each deposited millennia ago. The Severn River runs through this valley and cut a deep gorge that exposed the sediments to be available to miners working at the surface by cutting into the steep sides of the hills.

During its 1800’s production heyday, this area kick-started the Industrial Revolution that changed the course of history. Its iron foundries, pottery works, tanneries and soap factories scarred the landscape, muddied the river and fouled the air, making the heart of this valley a putrid mix of toxic pollutants. Inevitably, disease followed and, in one episode, water-borne cholera caused the deaths of many residents, usually the poor factory workers taking their drinking water from the nearby river.
These industries became unprofitable over century ago, and the industries closed. Today, the valley is now a UN declared World Heritage tourist site. It has noticeably prettied up very well and is now a quaint little valley village with its world first iron bridge at its epicentre. On the day we visited, there was a light dusting of snow to make this place picture perfect.

Coalbrookdale – small in stature, this influential place has punched way above its weight in its effect on our world.