Paul’s back home after 50 YEARS

AMAN who emigrated to Australia with his family as a boy has finally returned to Stockport for the first time – as a 63-year-old grandfather.

Paul Boyer, originally from Brinnington, arrived back at Stockport station – having left from there for a new life in 1965.

He was just 11 when his dad Frank and uncle Arthur decided to take both families to the other side of the world. The move was partly because it was hoped the dry, sunny conditions and outdoor lifestyle Down Under would help Paul manage his asthma condition. The families settled in the town of Wollongong, in New South Wales.

Paul said: “It feels strange being back. I live out in the bush where there is hardly any traffic or people and lots of space so it feels a bit squashed here. It is greyer and you only see the sun occasionally. People look at me funny as I always have my sunglasses on my head, it’s just what you do in Australia.

“There is a lot here that I don’t remember, but looks familiar.

“I remember Mersey Square and the bus depot but it’s just snapshots, really. One thing I remember is the smell of carbolic soap at school.”

Paul will spend a month in the country visiting his family and relatives of his partner, who also lives in Australia but is originally from Cheltenham. He was met off the train by his uncle Bernard Oldfield and cousin Ian Boyer.

Prior to emigrating, Paul had attended St Joseph’s Primary, in the town centre, and St Bernadette’s, in Brinnington. He went on to work in the steel industry and as a first-aider and after having two children and a grandaughter has settled in Towamba, in rural New South Wales. Paul said: “Where I live is a farming village of 150 people, no gas station or shops – just us, the birds and the kangaroos.

“In Australia, I suffered from homesickness for a long time and I was scared if I came back I may find it hard to leave.

“But now, although it is nice to come back here, I know where home is.”