Crafting of an Australian Citizenship Quilt NSW Contributions

Levey, Catherine
Braidwood NSW
The artist arrived from Scotland as a 13 year old in
1950 with her mother, father and four brothers and
sisters to the promise of work at an outback station out
of Brisbane which had “nominated” the family. The
artist went on to marry and have four children.
ID063
“After a three-day journey by train, we arrived in the
middle of nowhere at a railway siding. All our goods
and chattels were dumped out with all seven of us. We
waited over an hour for someone to turn up – we were
hot, sticky and dirty. A truck arrived and all of us kids
sat in the back of the truck with our luggage – Mum and
Dad in the front. Forty minutes later we were at the
property.
“Us kids were fascinated by it all – men on horses.
Mum and Dad and all of us went in the back door to
meet the boss who told us that the house they had for
us had burnt down and my older sister would be going
to Katherine to be a maid – my brother would stay and
help at the station with Mum and Dad and us three
younger ones would be sent back to Brisbane to
boarding school.
“My 5’1” mother just asked when the next train would
be coming through and the next day we were dumped
at the siding to await the train. People from all over the
region came and offered my mother and father work
and to give us accommodation. We met truly
wonderful Australians, but Mum and Dad said ‘no’ that
we would go back to Brisbane and start a new life there
where we could finish our education and get good jobs.
That was 55 years ago.
“I am a quilter, gardener and reader. I love my
country.”