Instead of spending our Inner Wheel Working Day at Rosemary Wilson’s home, making baby bundles, toy bags, knitting, sewing, crocheting and cutting stamps for International Charities, we relaxed at home and listened on our Zoom Meeting, hosted by Vivienne Brown, to Barbara Dixon’s amazing talk about her and Reg’s experiences as £10 Poms in Australia in the 1960s.

How brave they were to take their 7 month old baby, Mark, on an air passage to Australia!  Her husband, Reg, loved his work as a hospital general surgeon. 

They travelled from Armidale in New South Wales to Darwin, 1,000 miles away, via Sydney, while Barbara was expecting their 2nd child, and were fascinated by very rural countryside with lots of koala bears, kangaroos, camels and dingoes etc, on their journey.

They were made most welcome in this primitive area & settled down in their new house, where Reg built a boat and baby Ian was born.

Queensland was their next destination, where Reg enjoyed his hospital work and fishing, before moving to New Guinea, where they were fortunate to have servants to look after their children, house and garden. 

What a wonderful and unforgettable experience not only for Barbara, Reg and family but for our Inner Wheel members and guests, who attended this Zoom Meeting.

Lynn Bowman enlightened us about her experiences with her friends, some of whose family live in Australia. Anne & Phil Lyons told us about meeting famous cricket players, who were staying in the same hotel in Melbourne.