I was born in the beautiful Scottish border town of Peebles 22 June 1949. When I was 18 months old my family and I moved to Manchester, England looking for work. We all came to Victoria, Australia in 1966 where I met my  husband, another Scot from Johnstone, 12 miles from Glasgow. We married on April 12 1969 & we have 3 children, 2 Aussies and one a Pom as a result of an overseas trip to Devon. We have 5 grandchildren,  Rebecca, born 24th March 1999, Brody, born 10th January 2000, Darcy, born May 2003, Liam, born 27 Jan 2004, and Paisley, born 23 Feb 2006, the apples of our eyes, but we are a bit biased. I like living here & we have made a good life for ourselves & our  children, but my heart is always in my homeland, Bonnie Scotland.

As you know from my intro, I was born in Scotland & came to Australia in 1966 with my parents & two younger sisters, Glenda & Heather. Both were born in Manchester, England, but that's not their fault. We have had some really good times here, and some bad times. Glenda had three children, two girls & one boy, the same as me. But Heather went one better with Three girls & one boy. So you can see girls rule in this family. As I said in my intro I like living here but my my heart is always in my home land, Scotland which I have seen more of since I left than I did when I lived there. My father took me back back in 1990 after the sudden death of my mother in 1989, which I was not dealing with very well. It was good therapy for both of us as we helped each other get over losing a wonderful Wife & Mother. He took me all over Scotland to the place he was born in the beautiful Scottish Highlands and to the place he met Mum in the Scottish border town of Peebles where I was born. We spent three months in Scotland & I asked dad why he ever left such a beautiful country. His answer, with a tear in his eye, was they had to leave as there was no work in Scotland at that time and he & Mum wanted to give his young girls a better life, so we went to Manchester then Australia.  

Dad came to live with my husband & me after Mum died. He had a granny flat down the back of my garden and was very happy here as he had his independence, but we were always close if he needed any thing & vice-versa. My sister Glenda died in 1997 which was very hard on dad. He said I shouldn't have to bury my children & I'm glad your Mum isn't here as it would break her heart, as it did his. Dad & I went back to Scotland twice more in 1992 & 1994 we had wonderful times over there. My darling Dad passed away in Jan 2001. It was one of the saddest days of my life as I spent every day for three months at the hospital willing him to live & myself, my sister & all the family believe a lot of mistakes were made with dad, but proving it is another thing & its not going to bring him back. But we had some wonderful times & some good laughs as dad had a dry sense of humor so we try, my sister & I, to focus on the good times & the silly things he would say or do & we do laugh, & sometimes we cry. I know both Mum and Dad would want us to think of the good things so that's what we try to do, but its not always easy as I miss him so much. 

My husband bought me the computer its been therapeutic for me & I have started doing my family history. I am finding it fascinating & the couple who are doing it have been so helpful to me. Cindy is the researcher & Colin is the manager. He set up my web page for me & I thank him as I tend to go overboard as in regarding my pics. Instead of sending a few I sent 294 pics but it didn't faze him at all. I will add things to my page as time goes on & I know Cindy & Colin will be there to help me.

Moira

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with thanks to Lizzy Tish