Divorce

Our Father and Mother married during the 2nd World War, he was a soldier serving with the Argyll Highlanders and Mother was serving in the Womans Royal Air Force stationed at Lossiemouth.  On  our Fathers return from Burma( late 1945).  We were   born between 1946 and 1948. By late 1950 they had separated and divorce was granted on the 10th December 1953. During early childhood the reasons for their divorce were never discussed, but to this day we blame the war period for the unsettlement within the marriage. At this point our Father was but a man who appeared every year or so at night and had left early next morning . We stayed in laurencekirk and were brought up by    Mother with the help of our Grandparents.

Adventure

1957 came and the start of a new adventure came with the year, we were heading for a new life in Western Australia. The train from Laurencekirk to London was exciting then the three of us were handed to the care of a Mr Peterkin who ran a migrant home for children at Swanleigh Western Australia, the realization that Mother wasnt coming with us hit hard, but it was to late one night in a hotel and then onto the ship for the unkown. At this time we were joined by other children who were destined for WA.The journey was uneventful and we then arrived at Freemantle W.A.

Swanleigh

Swanleigh Boys home was not a nice family home the shock of our sister Isobel being wrenched from us and the uncaring and impersonal feeling of this place was overwhelming. However we tried to settle and we gradually became used to running around in bare feet and the brutal punishments for minor infractions of the oh so many rules. The years past and then news ,Mother was coming and we were to meet her on her arrival at freemantle, by now she had remarried  to a widower who had also sent his children to WA on the same ship and to the same home . His name Was George Rowe so Robert, Christine, and Marylin (his children by his late wife)were to  come and greet the newly weds and we    united to become a larger family group.

Arrival of Mother

Our mother and new step father arrived,but during the voyage she had given birth mid ocean to Edward Jorge Thomas Rowe . Mother, our new brother and her new husband had to find a house and work, so after a few hours the new extended family group parted. We all returned to Swanleigh, where we remained for a further year or so.

Leona Maria McAlpine.