AV0012 Patricia Stimpson 7-3-06.mp3

Transcript see ND5658

It's interview with Patricia Stimpson for the White Horse Historical Society on Tuesday, 7th March, 2006 by Frederick Smith. Pat, you were born in Singapore? Yes. I was born in Singapore of Indian parents. My father came from Sri Lanka and my mother is a Malaysian Indian.

There were 7 of us in the family. The first, 3 of the 3 of my brothers and sisters were born in Malaysia, but myself and my younger sister was born in Singapore. We all went to an English school. As you know, Singapore was a British colony. Most of our teachers were English, so we rarely spoke English most of the time at school with our friends and at home, but we also acquired the language of, the Malay language, which is another common language.

And from then on, of course, we had we all more or less did well in school. But then, of course, we were my education was interfered with the war of, the Japanese war. And the 3 years of war, I did not go to school because we had a choice of going studying Japanese or not. But I had to stay home because my sisters and brothers had to work for the Japanese just for the sake of getting some rice. And I was involved in, doing all the gardening to grow vegetables to help with our diet, do all the cooking for the family at a very young age.

So you could say I didn't have much of a childhood. Very difficult times. It was a very difficult time, but it was also we were also lucky not to be really, you know, the Japs did some terrible things, but, the my father was scared of most of all because he had 5 daughters, and it was a job trying to keep away from the Japanese soldiers. But, anyway, we managed through the 3 years. And after the war was over, I was determined to finish my schooling.

And I stayed I went back to school and did my senior Cambridge, in order to have a certificate in my hand. And this is in in what year would this be? That'll be 1950. 1950. Right.

And then from then on, of course, I I went to work. I did take a secretarial course and started working my first job in a, a what do you call it? Agents for shipping a shipping company. And And this this was in Singapore? That was in Singapore.

And from then on, I acquired another job in in the Singapore Improvement Trust that built houses for, for the public, you could say. And I worked there, and then, of course, I met my husband, in 1954. So did you notice a lot of change from being a young girl at the time of the Japanese invasion and then you saw the end of the war and then the the what happened then? Was big changes? Well the changes came the changes came when Singapore wanted to be independent in a way.

And, there was a lot of expats working in all most of the firms and the locals felt it was time they had some of the jobs as they were qualified overseas. So the changes came, you could see towards the change of government came in. And then, of course, more and more of the jobs were acquired by the locals. But we were very fortunate to have a very capable prime minister at that stage who knew that they could manage it. And Lee Kuan Yew.

Lee Kuan Yew. That's right. Yes. And I must say he did a marvelous job. But by that time, I was no more living in Singapore.

We had ideas of migrating to Melbourne because my husband's family were here, and he wanted to be close to his family. And So so what, what made you select Australia? That that that was one of the reasons the problem Yes. Australia well, with the husband's family Yes. That's right.

His his my brother-in-law went first, and then my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law also migrated later. All to Australia. All to Australia because they they knew a few people here, and, they were more familiar with the country in the sense that we knew some someone living here, which helps in a in a way. And And this was in Melbourne? Melbourne.

That's right. But my husband thought he'll get a job in Sydney, because the job he did, was in the cable and wireless, office. Well, can you tell us something? You were married when you came to Australia? Yes.

I'm married. I'm married, and in 1958, and then we had a child the next year. And in 1960, we migrated here. Right. Okay.

Alright. So you arrived in Melbourne. You had or your husband had some family here? Yes. My husband had his mother, sister, and his brother, and that made a difference.

So we knew someone here. So we decided to migrate. But, of course, we came on our own steam. So we came over in the cargo boat with other Australian Air Force men. On a cargo boat.

It's a cargo boat. It's traveled all the way from Queens Brisbane all the way down to Melbourne. So you came from Singapore the whole whole All the whole way on the cargo boat. That's right. And it wasn't, what was I saying?

It wasn't subsidized by No. It wasn't subsidized. We paid the whole thing ourselves and and managed to, sort of get ourselves some accommodation here with the help of my in laws. And And Whereabouts was that? And you lived in Eastern Kildare.

Eastern Kildare. Yes. And how did you find that? Well where where you come from? Well, well, I thought Melbourne, even at that stage, was quite a nice country.

And, but the only thing, I was always living in a house, and we had to live in an an apartment in rooms, which was hard to take in the beginning. And was this with children with 1? Yes. I had yes. I had to stay in one room with my husband and my little boy, and the other rooms were occupied by my in laws.

And then, of course, we had to look for jobs. And fortunately, my husband got a job straightaway in the Australia Post. And that was was good. Then I wanted to try for a job too because we were on we only had a £100 in the pocket. So I was very fortunate.

I got a job straightaway in an architect's firm called Bates Smart and McCushan. A famous firm. Yes. And they were very nice, a very nice firm. But after a fortnight, I found I couldn't get anyone look after my little boy.

And he was finding it hard to get used to the weather being not well with bronchitis, and I couldn't put him in a creche and I didn't know of one at that stage. So, unfortunately, we had I had to give up my work to look after him. Mhmm. So after a year passed, we moved in into a house with my in laws, and Still in Saint Petersburg? No.

We moved to Hawthorne. We moved to east Hawthorne, and and that went on for another 6 months. And I came to the conclusion I had no choice but go back to work. So I had to put my little boy in a creche and then got a job with, in Melbourne City Council. And that you find much difficulty in getting worse at that time?

Well, the the the difficulty is because I think in those years, I think the average Australian, I felt, knew a little very little about Singapore. And That's what I was going to ask you. How how did you find the cultural differences? Did you find that a a Well, I I I not not not so much to be in the way. Fortunately, I knew the language.

I always worked with expats, so that was easy. But, Did you feel you were accepted into I was accepted. Yes. To a point, I was accepted quite well, I would say. Even now, I was practically the only Asian in the office, and I think I fit it quite well.

But there'll be 1 or 2 that I would say was not happy to have an Asian in the office. Mhmm. And I felt that too, but I had to ignore that and keep going. In fact, I had a very bad experience with one of the bosses there who was, I think, German, and he just made it clear he didn't want me to work for him. And this was at the city?

Melbourne City Council. Yes. And and, of course, that was was the rest didn't approve of what he did, But I I just had to You were certainly aware of Yes. Yes. I also know I have been to certain jobs.

And when I rang for it, it said, yes, there is a vacancy. And the moment I showed up in fact, on one occasion, the man came out, saw me, and told that the girl at the reception office, tell her the job is filled. And yet, 5 minutes before, she said, yes. There's a job there. You have you did ring and there is a job.

So you get these experiences, unfortunately, with some people, but on the whole, I try not to