Australian War Brides Return from Overseas

Grey River Argus, 7 August 1948, Page 8

Australian War Brides Return from Overseas

SYDNEY, August 6 Many Australian war brides came back from Britain and America with husbands and children in two ships which arrived in Sydney last week. The Marine Phoenix brought almost 100 war brides back _ from America and the others came in the Ranchi, which brought 434 British migrants. Some of the war brides in the Ranchi had been trying to return to Australia for two years or more. , ~ Most of the returning war brides in the Marine Phoenix said America was a fine country to live in, “if you had plenty of money.” The cost of living was so high that normal living was beyond most families on a small wage, they said. One woman, formerly of Melbourne, said: “No one bothers about you in America if' you haven’t got money. Life in the United States is just one long scramble to make ends meet.” All Australian war brides interviewed in the Ranchi complained of the strictness of rationing in Britain. "You just can’t get used to it,” said one. “It’s just too hard. Many more Australian girls are coming back here. It is very easy for an English person to settle in Australia, but vice-versa is not so good.”