Fuglie, Skåne, Sweden

personal photograph taken July 2015

Fuglie Parish Church, personal photograph taken July 2015

Parish Church of the Nativity of Our Lady, Naxxar, Malta

personal photograph taken August 2015

personal photograph taken August 2015

personal photograph taken August 2015

personal photograph taken August 2015

Helsingborgs sjömanshus

60 Drottninggatan, Helsingborg

personal photograph taken July 2015

In 1862 the first sjömanshus opened in Helsingborg. From the second half of the 1800's the city became an increasingly significant place for shipping which resulted in extensive activities including the signing on and signing off of seafarers. In addition to these activities, the sjömanshus also acted as a community centre, library, etc. for those who dwelt in the city between voyages. 

Around 1890 the sjömanshus was located at Södra Kyrkogatan 9 and two years later opened the Seamen's Hall at Länsisatamankatu 1.

personal photograph taken July 2015

By the time Olaf Carlström signed on to the maritime life in 1907 the Helsingborgs sjömanshus had expanded to include the property at  Drottninggatan 60. The building inaugurated on November 4th 1902, had been designed by Ola Anderson and was made possible by a donation from a local businessman and member of parliament Consul Petter Olsson.

personal photograph taken July 2015

Bibliography

http://stadslexikon.helsingborg.se/index.php?title=Sj%C3%B6manshus,_-hem,_-f%C3%B6rmedling,_-bibliotek_m.m

Leaving

Margaret stood silently with her sister Anne gazing in awe at the hulking ship rising and falling gently at its mooring on the Liverpool quayside. Margaret’s hand trembled as she reached out to grasp her sister’s in a gesture designed to reassure, herself or her sister, she was not really sure.

The ‘Marion’ was the largest vessel she had ever set eyes on.  A huge ship so different from the compact Steamer on the crossing from Dublin to Liverpool.  Three huge masts soared heavenward and the proud bow sprit pointed toward the harbour entrance, follow me to South Australia, it beckoned.  If Margaret closed her eyes she could just about see the square rigged sails straining in the wind carrying her away from the dirty over crowded wharf across a beautiful deep blue ocean she had only ever seen in pictures.  Of course she knew this was only her imagination at work and she quickly crossed her fingers to hold the day dream like a wish.

A sudden push from behind broke the spell of her musings, ‘move along Ladies, steerage boarding that way’ pointed a uniformed arm and a  deep gravelly voice, before it and its owner, disappeared in the opposite direction.  Following the direction, Margaret and Anne pushed their way through the throng of other young men and women to the bottom of the gangway, fears forgotten for the moment in the overpowering excitement of the jostling crowd.

Bibliography

‘Immigrants to South Australia, (UK, assisted passage) 1847-1886’, 2014, The Ships List, http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/marion1854.shtml accessed 3 December 2015 ‘Liverpool and emigration in the 19^th and 20^th centuries’ information sheet 64, 2008, National Museums Liverpool, http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime/archive/sheet/64 accessed 3 December 2015

 ‘Southward Bound’ Resource package, n.d., S. A. Maritime Museum, http://education.maritime.history.sa.gov.au/docs/southwardbound.pdf accessed 3 December 2015

Laurence Samuel Borg, aka Lorry, Pro, Grumpa.

Laurence Samuel Borg was my Grandfather. My Mum's Dad and a major part of my life after the death of my own father when I was just a small child. At this point in time I was eighteen months old, and along with my mother, we returned to the heart of her family. For many years "Grumpa" was the only father figure I knew. 

Family photograph c. mid 1980's

The Laurence Borg I knew was a vastly different man to the stories and remembrances told by his own children. He was first and foremost a family man, a manual labourer, hard working and uncompromising in his views and attitudes.  My Mum, Aunt and Uncles retell stories of hardship and tough love that would not be viewed favourably in today's world, born predominantly from his own tough childhood. But from my perspective as a child, he and my Gran were the centre of my small world. Always around, in the garden, going on outings to the city, around the kitchen table with family and friends and holidays together. He enjoyed a bet on the ponies and he was gruff and grumpy (hence the name Grumpa!) and was forever threatening to trade my Gran in for a twenty-one year old! Yes he was tough, but there was always the underlying sense of love, acceptance and support.  However as I matured I could sense the hard man he would have been and did in fact have a number of run ins with him as a teenager, outraged by his archaic views on many topics. There are many aspects of Laurence's early years that are still a mystery and many conflicting stories and events recalled by various family members. The following facts try to piece together the life and times of a man that had a great influence on my life and someone that I still miss greatly everyday.

Laurence Samuel Borg was born on the 27th March 1919 in Broken Hill, New South Wales, the eldest son of Elizabeth Louisa May and Giuseppe Vincenzo Paolo (Joseph) Borg. The marriage of his parents six months prior to his birth could be an indicator of the life he was about to embark upon. Within eighteen months, and now residing in Knightsbridge ( Leabrook) Adelaide, South Australia, the birth of Laurence's younger brother Joseph Michael Borg on the 21 August 1920, completed the family.

Laurence and Joseph Borg c.1921

The Sands and McDougall directories for South Australia indicate that the family probably lived at the same address in Knightsbridge until at least 1924. By 1926, however the family appear to be living at 601 Spencer Street, West Melbourne, Victoria. Both parents Elizabeth and Joseph are listed in the electoral rolls for this address in both 1926 and 1927. The following photograph supports the theory that the family are all together at this point in time.

St. Mary's, W. Melb., 1st grade, 1926

Laurence's recollections of this period of his life include stories of roaming the docks of Port Melbourne, parental neglect and loose living by his mother. 
It is not clear how long the family remained in Victoria, but by 1930 Laurence's parents are living at separate addresses in Broken Hill, New South Wales and Laurence is attending Broken Hill Technical School. It appears that in this period Laurence has gone to live with his great Aunt, Elizabeth Ellen Larsen and her husband Oscar.

Elizabeth Larsen is the Aunt of Laurence's Mother and by this time is on her third marriage. She has no children of her own and during this period, Laurence is found to be known by the surname of Larsen. Elizabeth Larsen had moved several times in her life between Adelaide and Broken Hill and the next record we find of Laurence is a leaving certificate from Broken Hill Technical School at the end of 1930 and his subsequent enrolment at Scotts Bottom Public School in South Australia at the start of the 1931 school year. Elizabeth Larsen is the person enrolling Laurence and they are living in the hundred of Noarlunga at the time. Laurence often spoke of living with an old Tatar of an Aunt in the Cherry Gardens area and told a stories about sleep walking   waking in the brambles and blackberry bushes on the property.

Laurence completes his education at Scotts Bottom and at the end of 1933 and receives a letter of recommendation from his former teacher E. C. Moore in 1934.

Letter of recommendation Scott's Bottom Public School, E. C. Moore 1934

It is an assumption that Laurence started his working life at this point, however, oral family history relates stories of him being in the Sisters of St Joseph orphanage at Largs Bay until his mother retrieved him when he was old enough to work. I have not yet arranged to view the orphanage records so it will be interesting to see if this adds up with other records.

By the time of the outbreak  of World War II, Laurence is living at 27 King Street, Alberton, South Australia and is employed as a Labourer by W.K Thomson, David Street, Queensberry, South Australia. Further research shows this to be a Kapok and Flock manufacturing business providing stuffing for automobile seats. The actual address differs between the three different sources I have located however I believe the factory would have been located at a site that is now Davidson Ave, Hendon, South Australia today.

To be continued.....

Lillian

As the back door slammed shut Lil slumped into the nearest chair. Tears of humiliation and regret continued to flow down her cheeks. Her arms sprawled across the kitchen table her head resting listlessly against the crook of her arm. She just didn’t have the energy to make them stop. She had known this day was coming, it was inevitable, but the reality of facing Bert had been pushed to the background when he was so far away.

What did people expect from her anyway? She was young and lively and had been alone for the last four years. Encouraged into marriage when she was little more than a child, Bert had been a demanding older husband. At the time it had seemed like such an adventure, she felt so grown up. The reality of family life had set in soon enough though, little money and four babies in six years had kept her so busy, and it was a guilty sense of relief when Bert left for Europe. 
A sudden nudge brought Lil out of her mournful reveries. Sitting up and wiping her face on the apron stretched across her swollen belly she heaved herself to the sink and filled the kettle. Events were out of her control now and she would just have to make the best of things. As she gently rubbed her tummy a new resolve coursed through her. Olaf would stand by her, she knew.‘Pull yourself together girl,’ she mused, there’s no going back now.