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All Newsletters : March 2004 : After All These Years...

After All These Years...

Maureen Briggs-Trewin writes of her joy in renewing contact with a long lost childhood friend


One Monday morning in February a message came through that a Monica Blendell wanted to make contact with me.

I was beside myself with joy … I had honestly never thought I would see or hear from my childhood friend again.

I recalled the last time I saw her. We had been together working at Mt Henry Hospital when an official arrived and took Monica away. I yelled “Where are you taking her? What has she done?” Monica was then 18 years of age and still a Ward of State. Despite all my inquiries I never ever heard what happened to Monica or where she went.

As little girls, Monica and I had been friends together in Nazareth House, Hammersmith, London. In 1953 the two of us were sent to Australia, to Nazareth House, Geraldton. We were there until we reached the age of 16.

Then we were sent off to work, sadly in different directions and we only met up again when Monica arrived at Mt Henry Hospital where I was already working.

When Monica phoned that Monday evening - we spoke for ages trying to fill in the experiences of the last 43 years, so many questions, talking over each other in our eagerness to bridge the gap of so many years.

Monica and I are both in emotional turmoil with so many memories yielding feelings of hurt, pain, excitement and happiness at having reconnected after all this time. It is like finding a long-lost sister and we can’t wait to meet again face to face.

Monica was never forgotten by her child migrant friends, her name came up at all our gatherings. We had thought she had been deported back to England, when in fact it was Monica’s mother who demanded that the Immigration Department send Monica back to the UK which they eventually did.
Maureen says Monica wants to connect with other child migrant friends (especially those on the netball team) particularly anyone going to England in the near future.







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