Lisburn Exiles Forum

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The Lisburn Exiles Forum is dedicated to the memory of James Goddard Collins (The Boss) who single-handedly built LISBURN.COM (with a lot of help from many contributors) from 1996 to 29th November 2012. This website was his passion and helping people with a common interest in the City of Lisburn around the world is his lasting legacy.


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Re: Lisburn Changes

Hi Ted, I actually had three uncles that went out to Australia in the late 1920s, however one came back to Lisburn in the early 30s and had a variety of jobs, driving for Burnhouse, Thompsons Taxis and then for the NIRTB as a bus driver untill he went back to Australia in 1950 where he worked on the some of the big construction jobs like the Woomera Rocket Range and the Snowy River Hydro Electric Project as a diesel engineer, he was one of those guys who was naturally mechanically gifted.
The other two had a variety of jobs as of course the great depression started not long after they went out, however both done pretty good they married Australian girls and had families, one served in the Australian army during the war the other became a sheep and wheat farmer and had quite a sizeable farm. The engineer came back to Ulster in the mid 60s and worked at the big engineering company in Dunmurry though I can't remember the name of it.
Ted there were a few family photo albums that are probably now in the possession of my numerous Australian cousins that had all kinds of photos of my uncles taken in the early 30s with teams of horses and wagons while working in the outback as they call it in Australia, I would love to go through them but probably never will now. Mauri

Re: Lisburn Changes

Mauri
That is a very good post.

Re: Lisburn Changes

Thanks Mauri .What would you give if it were possible to sit down with the three Gentlemen in question over a few beers and just listen to there early experiences back then ? Personally I would find it priceless and thanks again for sharing ,you never let us down ,Kind Regards to yourself & Joy

Re: Lisburn Changes

Ted, I had to laugh when you suggested that I would like to sit down and have a few beers with my uncles. Only one of them was a regular drinker and by that I mean he always had a supply of beer in his Fridge and was a regular customer at his local hotel (Pub) after work in the days in South Australia when the pubs closed at 6 PM would you believe, this was known as the 6 oclock swill. The farmer uncle never drank at all but sometimes would go with me to the hotel in the little town near where his farm was and have a soft drink while I knocked back a few beers.this of course was during my rare visits while on leave.The last one who went back to Lisburn only drank on social occasions though he did surprise me one time when I visited him where he lived in Lambeg and he brought out a bottle of Scotch but only after his wife told him too."Ha Ha",????? Mauri

Re: Lisburn Changes

Funny enough Mauri after posting, it struck me that maybe they could have been teetotalers however you know were I was coming from, but even if it had been a dry meeting I still would have enjoyed the privilege of there company yourself included off course ,Kind Regards Ted