LONG SEPARATION ENDS FOR EVACUEE CHILDREN

Chronicle (Levin), 15 January 1947, Page 8

LONG SEPARATION ENDS FOR EVACUEE CHILDREN

PARENTS DEOIDE TO SETTLE IN DOMINIQN.

AUCKLAND, Jan. 14. A long separation caused by tlie wai' ended for two English fa'milies when th.e Largs Bav berthed at Auckland with the parents of three children wlio had been evacu'ated to'New Zealand in 1940. When two sets of parents, oue from Manchester and ihe other from Glasgow, said goodbye to their children at' the time when Britain was f'acing the prospect of a German inyasion they knevv tliat the period they would be apart was indelinite, but they liardly realised that more thau six years would elapse before they were united again. A boy, who was now earning his own living and a girl who had linishcd her . secondary education awaited klr. aud Mrs. A. Milne, of Manchester, when they stepped 011 the wharf. Cix years ago when the children left England the boy Kenneth was 12 and the girl Ellzabeth was .10. They came to New Zealand for feafety and have since lieen the foster children of Mr. aiul Mrs. L. Sunley, of Papakura. Since completing his education Kenneth has been employed on a farin at Karaka and Elizabeth left school at the end of last year. Mr. Milne, a retired Manchester policeman with 20 years' serviim, said he and his wife intended to stay in New Zealand for their children had been happy here and it seemed that the Do minion had much to olfer Jtheni. They were very g'rateful For Ihe help that had been extended to Kenneth and K'v-a-beth at a time when it was inost 'needeil, but they were glad that tlie long separation was now over. The Seottish parents were Mr. and Mrs. E. A. Blanehard who lfad come to join their daughter Margaret. She was only six when she arrived at Welling- 1 ton in Sexjtember, 1940, aud was the ! youngest girl.to come out aione aiqong 89 evacuees from Scotiand. Her fuster ' parents since then have been Mr. and Mrs. N. Mercer, of Kerikeri. " Mr. Blanehard, a former aircraft production engineer, intends,to beeome an 1 orchardist. He and? his wife said they came to New Zealand because Margaret had beeome settled here, liked the Dominion and wished to remain. Tliey) were also verv grateful for all that had been done for the girl.