Homecoming bid to bring ex-pats back

Rosie Davies - Rosie Davies • Published 28 Jan 2009 09:30

Year of celebration aims to remind former Bankies what they left behind

Bankies from all over the world are being encouraged to fly back to visit their hometown in 2009 as part of the Government"s year of the Homecoming celebrations.

The past 60 years has seen large numbers of the town"s population leaving in search of a better life to countries such as America, Canada and Australia.

Thousands emigrated after the Blitz, and in the years after, as the town"s once thriving manufacturing and shipbuilding industries felt the pressure of foreign competition, many more followed.

Homecoming Scotland aims to celebrate the country"s contribution to the world and ex-pat Bankies are invited to join in.

Alistair Macdonald, Deputy Lord Lieutenant and former Provost, recalls how the closure of the Singer factory was devastating to the town. He said: 'In the 1980s the town was in turmoil with the closure of Singer, which had a domino effect on smaller businesses.

'There was an impending sense of disaster.

'Parents were actively encouraging their children to seek a future elsewhere.

'It was a heart-breaking time for those who left, and for those left behind.'

But Mr Macdonald said the people who left in the search for jobs and success still hold the town close to their hearts.

He told the Post: 'I"ve met many ex-pats in their new homes abroad, and no matter how many years have passed, the warmth and love that Bankies have for their home town is still there.

'I"m delighted that the Government is encouraging ex-pats to come over, but it shouldn"t be just for this year. We should encourage Bankies to come back and see how significantly the town has changed and visit the only symbol that remains of the shipyards - the Titan Crane.

'I hope that the people of Clydebank will give them a warm welcome and show them just how much the town has improved.'

Where are ex-pat Bankies now?

Beth Chalmers, 67, Australia

'I was brought up in Clydebank, and I would love to move back because I"m a Bankie through and through. But I"ve got children and grandchildren in Australia now.

'I was born in the Singer buildings at number eighty-six, and I worked there for seven-and-a-half years.

'I met my husband, Joe, in Dalmuir Park when I was fourteen and knew I wanted to marry him.

'He joined the army and we tied the knot when he came back from leave.

'After the army, he trained as a welder, and at that time we heard about the £10 scheme. Countries like Australia needed skilled workers, and they offered to pay your flights out there for £10.

'You had to stay two years, and if you didn"t like it, they would fly you back.

'Well, we loved Australia.

'The pace of life was so relaxed. Now I go walking, cycling and swimming, and sing in a choir, touring the care homes I worked in.

'But there really is nothing like home. I visit Clydebank when I can, the last time being just before my mother died.

'My two sisters and I, who have all moved abroad, happened to be here at the same time.

'Then, two weeks after we"d all left, my mother slipped and fell in the shopping centre.

'It was devastating that we were so far away.

'I think things have got a lot better for Bankies. When I grew up we were happy, but very poor.

'Nowadays people seem to have better houses and jobs.

'I do miss the Bankie attitude of being happy with what you"ve got, it"s definitely a Scottish thing.'

Hubert Carey, 70, Las Vegas

'I was born in Queen Mother"s maternity hospital on November 27, 1938.

'My dad worked at the John Brown shipyard, and my mother worked in the baker"s for as long as I can remember.

'During the war, my mother, my sister and I were evacuated to Ayrshire for a wee while, and when we came back we lived on Duntocher Road, in Parkhall.

'Because of the war we moved from school to school, but I ended up at Our Holy Redeemer Primary.

'I was 21 when I completed my apprenticeship in Singers, and I moved for work in Toronto.

'My aunts, uncles and grandmother had already emigrated there.

'Now I"ve got two children, Yvonne and Kevin, four grandchildren and a great-grandson, so there"s loads of us. I"ve always moved around because of my job.

'When I was working on the Stealth Bomber in California, I needed a base closer to work - I was living in Georgia at the time.

'Some of my colleagues were living in Las Vegas, so I checked it out, and the real estate value was just great.

'I bought a house in 1987 with 3,000 square feet of living space and a three-car garage for $180,000 and I"m very happy.

'I turned 70 last year but I still play football, there"s a few other Scots out here.

'But I"ll always be a Bankie.

'I"ll never forget seeing the QE2 go on its maiden voyage, or the sound of bombs whistling around us in the air raid shelter.

'Last time I visited was when my mother died in 1984.'

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This article appeared in Clydebank Post 28 Jan 09

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