Summary

Hendrika (Ricky) Schwab (nee Perdon) arrived at Station Pier Melbourne with her family from The Netherlands in 1952.

The following is the story of Hendrika (Ricky) Schwab (nee Perdon), daughter of Johanna (Ann) Perdon as told to Hendrika's daughters Susan Allen and Chris Cairns and provided to the Museum in 2019.

'I came to Australia in 1952 aged 15 with my mother Johanna, father Theodorus and two brothers Theo (Theodorus) and Bill (Wilhelmus). We arrived at Station Pier on 7th October. My mother's brother Bill and his wife Mary were there to meet us, together with Elsie and Alex McDonald who provided us with accommodation for the first 18 months at their blue stone farm in Keon Park on Mahoney's Road, about 500 meters from the station.'

The Journey:

'We had left Holland on 3rd of September 1952 just before the new school year. The ship we sailed on was the Fairsea and it was run by the SITMAR Line of Italy as an immigrant ship. We all slept in dormitories; about 40 women were packed in what used to be a cargo hold. For air to come through, there were small panels cut through air ducts and that was our only air available because we were in the original cargo hold, below sea level. My father and brothers were in a similar situation right at the front of the ship. The showers were salt water only, so you can imagine how clean we felt afterwards.

When we left the port of Rotterdam we came through to the English Channel and saw the White Cliffs of Dover. Coming through the Gulf of Biscay we had a lot of turbulence as there had been a storm the day before and nearly 1400 immigrants were seasick. I was not one of them and because of that there were only about a 100 people came to our meals.

We then went through the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean and on to the Suez. Three times the ship broke down during the five weeks on board and we just floated around. Whilst going through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea two babies died of the intense heat, and there was a collection from the passengers, so the babies could be brought to Australia rather than be buried overboard.

It was really boring for me as I was nearly 15 and as the saying in Holland goes 'not big enough for a table cloth and too big to be a serviette'. There was some entertaining on board but my mother decided I was too young. Even though the other girls of my age were allowed to go to the dances etc. my mother would not let me go and I had to go to bed instead.

When we came through Port Said, some people went on shore, but our mother chose not to do so, as there was some trouble brewing in around the Suez Canal and I believe we were about the last boat to go through. Emigrant ships after this time went to Australia via Panama.

Meals were in three sessions, the first sitting was for very young children, second and third were for adults and older children.

When we eventually arrived in Perth, there were quite a lot of people after all the delays who decided to stay instead of going on to Melbourne and Sydney and Brisbane.'

Early Settlement:

'We arrived at the farm in Keon Park and lived there for 18 months until my parents were able to build a bungalow in Alexander Avenue, Thomastown. My mother sent me to school at Santa Maria College in Northcote and Bill went to St. Thomas' in Clifton Hill and Theo went to St. Gabriel's in Reservoir.

My mother started work in Collingwood in a factory making headlights for bikes and cars. My father worked in Melbourne in Exhibition Street for a barber.'

Romance and Marriage:

The following is the story of Hendrika (Ricky) and Neil Schwab (nee Perdon) as provided by their daughter Susan Allen in 2019.

'My father's name is Neil Schwab, he was born in Brunswick. His parents and grandparents were born in Melbourne and Ballarat, and his predominant ancestry is Irish on both his father's (parents Delaney and Schwab) and mother's side (parents Duffy and O'Neil). The Schwab line came from Switzerland (documented on the ship's manifest as 'vine dressers' from Switzerland).

My parents Neil and Ricky met waving at each other through their laboratory and office windows at the T and G Building in Collins Street. Dad was a dental technician and Mum was a book keeper. Dad subsequently met Mum in the lift one day and asked her out.'

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