Trying to forget, forgiving is hard

Dear Editor:

Here are a few facts of life, the way I see it. Happiness, good or bad health, sadness and death (by whatever means) are all facts of life.

I am barely clinging on to a resolution I shared with your readers a short time ago.

I find it nearly impossible to delete the memories of my loveless childhood taken away by the English and Canadian governments which continue trying to rewrite history to cover and hide their shame.

England, to this day, tells the world that no children were sent to Canada after the Second World War ended.

The fact is Tom Isherwood was exiled from all his family in May 1947 at age eight, along with 27 other child migrants.

The last group of six child migrants came to the Fairbridge Farm School (orphanage), situated on Vancouver Island in 1948.

A total of 329 children went through loneliness that would grow and grow as time passed by.

A visit to England to film a documentary and meet elderly family — who thought I was dead — was a heartbreaking experience. I was told by mobile phone by some creepy lady to “go home,” there was nothing in England for me.

The Canadian government, who gave the thumbs up for my exile from England, is also guilty.

Working for the federal government for many years and thinking of retirement, here is what I learned.

I did not exist on any immigration records and I was not a Canadian citizen.

Once again, stress raised its ugly head as it was up to me to prove otherwise

The fact is 99% of my childhood appears to have been deleted and neither England or Canada give a damn.

A body doesn’t have to be buried to feel dead inside, believe me.

Books have been written about the 329 children who survived the Fairbridge orphanage, but in all of Canada only 32 young child migrants survived.

No compensation was ever offered for the childhood misery that haunts me to this day. I try to forget, but the liars and some book writers that have never done the walk won’t let me forget.

Compensation is not a word where people in charge can pick and choose which news story is worthy.

Please read the opening paragraph of my letter again and then deny the facts of life. Tom Isherwood Olalla