LAST UPDATED
JULY 19th, 2019
AUSTRALIA 1959 - 1971
A very abbreviated version of my residence in and connected to - my stay "Down Under"
The dates and locations are from memory only! never had a postal address or even electricity while in Australia.
Boarded a migrant ship - the "FLAMINIA" In Italy to sail across the Mediterranean, through the Suez canal, across the Indian Ocean to Melbourne, Australia and became a resident until 1971. (trip details HERE if interested)
1959 Arrived in Melbourne and was transported to a migrant camp in Bonegilla, some 200 Miles to the NE of Melbourne.
1959 Hitchhiked to Melbourne, to find work. Found work as a welder, stayed 'til fall.
1959 Traveled to Mildura to become a seasonal worker, picking grapes, turning them into raisins etc.
1960 - 1970 Traveled to the "Blue Mountains" became a lumberjack on a contract basis, clearing trees used for paper pulp.
1961 Traveled to Perth, WA, found work as a welder and rigger, also worked as a welder, fabricator in a small fab. shop
1962 Traded my Ford model "T" flat bed truck for a used Land Rover, drove North to join a railway gang, building the railroad from Perth to Darwin.
1962 Traveled to Rawlinna, in the Nullorbor desert to become a rabbit trapper until I finally owed more money to the contractor than I could make, I traded the Land Rover for the debt.
1963 Arrived in Port Augusta with twenty, borrowed, Pounds. Found work with the Commonwealth Railways, first as welder / fitter, than as an engineer driving trains to Alice Springs.
1968 as a member of the Australian Soaring Society I went to Poland for the Soaring World Championships in Leszno.
1969-1971 Traveled in Austria, Germany ,Switzerland, USA and back to Australia for various periods of time, getting training and repairing fiberglass Sailplanes in those countries.
1971 Started a business in Mojave CA as Fred Jiran Glider Repairs, then as COMPOSITE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
1989 Sold the business and moved to San Leon, Texas, where I am residing now.
END
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