Sailing to Australia on the Dorsetshire
The Dorsetshire was built Belfast by Harland and Wolff in 1920 . The ship served as a cargo liner from 1920 -1927, a trooper from 1927 and a hospital ship during World War II. After the war it was used for migrant service, including ferrying the Short family to their new home, and then as a hostel at the Little Aden Oil refinery. The Dorsetshire was broken up in 1954.
By Krista Schade
71 years ago Marg Beckwith, then five-year-old Margaret Short stepped off the good ship Dorsetshire onto Australian soil at Sydney Harbour.
She was accompanied by her parents and little brother Jim, aged two, and the family had travelled from Scotland as ’10 pound Poms’. Marg was born in 1947 in Stirling, a small city in central Scotland, within 50 kilometers of Glasgow and Edinbugh.
Marg vividly remembers the trip across the ocean to sunny Australia.
“My father was a glassblower in Scotland, but both parents were in the services, and they decided to move to Australia to get away from the cold weather,” Marg recalled.
And escape the inclement weather they did, ending up on the beautifully harsh lands of outback NSW.
“The Minister helped them secure a job in Perth so we set sail. When we got to Sydney Dad discovered that the job had already been filled, so some charity helped him find other work. He ended up working for Rupert Ireson, out past Booligal and even though he had no rural experience, he loved it.”
Marg’s father never returned to Scotland. “My mum went back once, but she said Australia was home now.”
Marg herself has been back five times, reconnecting with family and visiting local sites, but little compares to that first exciting ocean crossing.
“We went to school on the boat, and when we crossed the equator there was a big party. I had bever seen such dancing and flying colours.”
“We went on shore at Columbo and I got sunburned something terrible.”
“We watched the Islanders swim out to the boat and passengers would throw money over the side, and the Islanders would dive down deep to get it.”
The Dorsetshire arrived in Sydney with the Short family aboard on June 26 1952, carrying a small engine defect, according to The Canberra Times.
MIGRANT LINER PUTS BACK TO SYDNEY
The 100,000 tonne British migrant liner Dorsetshire returned to Sydney this afternoon with a minor engine defect.
The Dorsetshire sailed into heavy seas after clearing the port at 11 a.m. and returned to port about p.m. The engine defect will be repaired during the night.
Margaret made her life in Hay, marrying David Beckwith and raising a family. IN 1974 Margaret became an Australian Citizen.
10 pound Poms
Ten Pound Poms (or Ten Pound tourists) is a colloquial term used in Australia and New Zealand to describe British citizens who migrated to Australia and New Zealand after the Second World War. The Government of Australia initiated the Assisted Passage Migration Scheme in 1945, and the Government of New Zealand initiated a similar scheme in July 1947. The Commonwealth arranged for assisted passage to Australia on chartered ships and aircraft.
The migrants were called Ten Pound Poms due to the payment of £10 in processing fees to migrate to Australia.
History of the Dorsetshire
The Dorsetshire was built Belfast by Harland and Wolff in 1920 . The ship served as a cargo liner from 1920 -1927, a trooper from 1927 and a hospital ship during World War II.
After the war it was used for migrant service, including ferrying the Short family to their new home, and then as a hostel at the Little Aden Oil refinery. The Dorsetshire was broken up in 1954.
Originally published in The Riverine Grazier on April 6, 2022.
