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Who Are They?
These photographs were taken on board the Asturias in November 1948, by Pat Piggott. His wife Irene (Rene) and son Michael are pictured with other passengers. If you can identify them, please let us know.
Three little Aussies
Passport Photo
Leslie's diary
 "July 9th, 1948. We got things straightened out of the cases into our various wardrobes. Then 10:15 this is it! We're off ....

July 23rd. It is a glorious morning, very calm and pleasant, but comes a little surprise when the skipper gives the order for anything moveable must be fastened down as we are moving in to rough weather. This we find out later is the monsoons .."
On 7th July 1948 Leslie and Winifred Mount and their two children, Grenville (age 10) and Anthony (age 2) left Farndon on their journey to Australia. They stayed overnight in London, boarding the Asturias on the 8th July.

Leslie kept a diary, recording their voyage in wonderful detail, describing their visits to ports along the way. The family enjoyed their life on board with the exception of rough seas between Aden and Colombo which saw everyone sucumb to seasickness. Their older son 'Gren' attended school and, with his teacher and other students, visited the bridge several times.

The diary records happy times on board, and their first impression of Australia (Fremantle) where "We walk along the streets, viewing all the shops which are wonderfully stocked. Everyone is very obliging ... by now it was getting dark and the shops are beginning to light up. It was a grand sight for the two kiddies for they had not seen the adverts in lights before and were highly amused at them, flashing on and off, and so we make our way back to the ship, feeling that Australia was even better than we really believed it to be, and so to bed ....."

In Melbourne they are met by their sponsor and taken to a farm, outside of Colac, in rural Victoria. Things do not turn out well at first, when Leslie finds that the job promised to him has been given to someone else. He then records his search for work in Melbourne, and many months spent trying to find a house for his family.



This account was submitted by Anthony (Tony) Mount who can be contacted via the website administrator.
(Click on image to open Leslie's Diary)
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