Dick Irene Leslie Fiona Cairney

I will never forget leaving Glasgow, Scotland on March 12th 1957, with my husband Dick, our two year old son Leslie, and our one year old daughter Fiona. While waiting for the late evening train to Liverpool, we met fellow travellers Margaret and Alfie Mclean. They were a great help with the children throughout our long journey to Canada, and we have remained very good friends. We sailed from Liverpool the next morning on March 13th. The ship was called the Carinthia it was her 13th crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. Fiona had her first birthday the day we sailed. We arrived in Halifax March 19th. I remember the Red Cross welcoming us and providing us with extra care for the children. We boarded the train for Toronto. The train should have had three dinning cars but it only had one. It was so crowded that we could not get near it, so when the train stopped at the station, we rushed out to buy milk, bread, and cheese. Gazing out the windows of the train, we noticed how short the hydro poles seemed, but we soon discovered that they were not so short, they were mostly buried in the snow. Our destination was St.Catharines, ON, and to this day, we have stayed in St.Catharines. In the year 2000, my daughter Fiona, granddaughter Sarah Bobko and I returned to Pier 21, Halifax. As we stood there looking at Pier 21, I realized that I had come full circle and all the memories of our journey to Canada came flooding back. It was wonderful to share this experience with Fiona and Sarah.