The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. ~St. Augustine

To continue from where I left off....


On the 10th of February 1968, a family of six went off on a journey into the unknown.  My parents had decided to try a new life in a country almost as far away as it was possible to get from the small village in the North West of Iceland.


Both my parents had health problems, my mum had been the subject of experimental ear surgery in Denmark when I was two years of age, the result was not good, instead of improving her hearing she was left with a scar that would never heal and would always be infected or having "fungus" growing inside the ear canal.  Not nice and Icelands cold weather was not helping things.  Dad had an allergy for something, that could not be determined, so he would either get swollen lips, tongue or feet.  The doctors had advised (probably quite flippantly) that a change in climate would do them good.  Mum was into that - Canada, Norway, Sweden... whatever... but dad - he thought further afield.  Australia was advertising for semi skilled labour.  If you came they would reimburse the fair.  Mum says she didn't take dads suggestion seriously until it was too late to turn around.  So, being the resourceful woman that she is - she got in touch with an Icelandic woman already living in Australia - in Perth.  This first contact would be extremely important in the future of our family.  The woman that she wrote to became my sister's mother in law, my nieces grandmother - whose name she shares.


So on that fateful day we left Sauðárkrók by plane - it was the milk run so we went to Akureyri first before going to Reykjavík, this meant that we were also able to say goodbye to my father´s oldest sister - who still lives in Akureyri... but that's another story...   It was snowing alot that night (another of the few memories that I have).  We stayed in Reykjavik with mum's youngest sister and I remember my cousin Hrönn taking me down the road to the icecream shop on the corner.. The best icecream I ever had - and this icecream shop was still there in 79 when I worked in a fish factory just around the corner.


Needless to say the family in Iceland was not impressed with what we were doing, my siblings were subjected to all sorts of pressures from the relatives - especially my fraternal grandparents.  This move was particularly hard on my sister - she was at the tender age of 14.  People I meet now still talk about her confirmation - she was confirmed on her own in the church - some likened it to a funeral... her final farewell.


I think I have already mentioned this before - but Australian immigration required that the family be interviewed by the British consul in Reykjavik - everyone went - but me... the consul had to say that he had seen all the kids and as I wasn´t there had to have some proof that I was ok... ie would not be a burden on Australia... the solution - he knew the local vet in the area and trusted him... so I got a vet certificate to say that there was nothing wrong with me....


So, off we went on a plane to London.... where I saw people of colour for the first time in my life - yet another memory - sitting in the window sill at the hotel counting the people below that weren't white.... Not politically correct - but exactly what a young person would do when faced with something that they had never ever seen before.  I remember seeing the queens jewels at the tower of London, I don´t remember the zoo - although I have seen the photos, I remember eating at the YMCA and seeing the Sound of Music at the biggest movie theatre that I have ever ever been in.


We went by train from London to Southampton, where we boarded the Angelina Lauro for our journey to Fremantle in Western Australia... The trip was a nightmare for a 5 year old child, the smell of minestrone still stays with me - it's a soup that reminds me of dread and always always makes me feel ill.  It was for dinner almost every day on the ship (for the kids), we also got spaghetti with meat balls (two meat balls if you were lucky - but usually only one), I remember mothers screaming at their children to make them eat their soup.... I also remember that mum made sure that I never had to eat mine.  As I was under 12 I was not allowed to eat with the family in the main dining area... so usually I sat crying on the steps outside the window until I got smuggled in and hid under the table.  The waiter at our table apparently cried No bambino, no bambino!!! whenever I was spotted.... this became his name...   I made no friends on this trip - far too many clever athletic children that could do cartwheels, I could do an apple turnover... pretty pathetic.  The boat also had a movie theatre and if I remember an empty swimming pool... it wasn´t nice.  However, we were privileged... our family got to stay in a suite rather than in bunk accommodation in the nether regions....


We arrived in Fremantle on the 21st of March, to meet us at the dock were Olga and Kristinn and Tryggvi, Trygg took me and Himmi and bought us a drumstick, Unnur was to meet Thor later.....


We lived our first two weeks in a flat, then moved to our new house at easter.... it was a very cold autumn in Perth, the coldest in a long long time - did we have any of our woollens, eiderdowns or other winter things with us - why no - we were moving to a warmer climate... I don't think any of us have ever felt as cold ever.... I still wonder now what went through my dad's mind those first months in Australia - his job was over 30 kms from where we lived - I walked 5kms to school everyday... my mother had to go out to work.  My brother got a job in a factory and had to talk for the whole family  -  he took on so much responsibility in those early years - including handing over his pay packet to mum every week in order to feed the family... In so many ways I am so happy that I was an ignorant 5 year old, I gave everyone else a hard time - but had the excuse of not knowing any better.... to my parents, my sister and my brothers - I am so so sorry for being the pain that I was in those first difficult months..............................