The Journey

The Journey by Robert J (Bob) Moore ©2020 We used to live in Manchester, in England, the UK till one day our dad said, we’re going to move away Australia’s where were going to, a land of sand and sun with lots of jobs, and lots of space, a life there will be fun I didn’t really want to go, at 18 my life was here but dad had made his mind up, he made that very clear it’s all or none he said to me, we go together or, we stay so we agreed we all would go, and I’d return home one day We caught a train to London, and as we crossed the Pennine Chain little did I think, that I would not see them again I’d hiked and camped all over them, since I was just a lad Glossop, Hayfield, Kinder Scout, and all the fun we’d had The train got to St Pancras, in the early morning light time to have some breakfast, look around and see the sights I had never been to London, this was my first trip, we saw Nelsons Column, but that was about it We had to go to Tilbury, a ship was waiting for us there to take us half way round the world, to a land dad said was fair it needed population, to help it build and grow and people came from many lands to try and make it so so we sailed, down the Thames, hoping things would be alright out into the Channel, and past Dovers cliffs of white across the Bay of Biscay, through the Med and Suez too then over the Indian Ocean, until Australia came into view We called at Port Fremantle, then crossed the Australian Bight just a stop at Melbourne, then on to Sydney through the night at eight thirty in the morning, I went up on to deck A we passed under the Harbour Bridge, England 12000 miles away I would never again see England, or walk the Pennine Hills never again see Manchester, the winter fogs, and chills my friends from when I was a lad, are just memory but living in Australia, has been a good life for me.