Fred and Betty Evans' Website

They were farmers and hoteliers who purchased land and built the Pier Hotel called “Uncle Toms Cabin” at Port Willunga.

My mother’s maternal ancestors were industrious people and accumulated considerable wealth which enabled some of them to run small businesses and farms.

They are buried in the Willunga Cemetery south of Adelaide.

My Grandfather owned a Grocery business in the South Australian country town of Manoora where my mother was born.

Later he sold his business and moved to Adelaide and became the proprietor of a Store adjacent to his house at 53 Blyth St Parkside, near where where I was born.

My Grandfather was a fervent christian and was the organist at the Victor Harbor Congregational Church and later Unley Park Baptist Church for many years.

He laid down a christian foundation for his family that my mother in particular, followed all her life.

She became the first pentecostal Australian woman to be ordained as a missionary to India.

Having these roots it is no wonder that Adelaide holds a special place in my heart.

It was to Adelaide that my parents returned for their missionary furloughs from India.

It was on their second furlough that I was born in 1939.

After spending nine years in India I finally returned to Adelaide in 1948.

I must have been quite out of fashion as I remember well my nickname “bloomers” when I went to an Australian school for the first time at Challa Gardens Primary.

My primary school years were quite challenging as I had to adjust to the Australian way.

My Indian English accent took some hits from the Australian kids at school.

It was just the way it was!

My High school years at Croydon Boys Tech were no less turbulent, as my christian faith was often mocked in the school yard.

Even the Methodist Religious Instructor that visited my class each week was deriding of pentecostals and my father was a Pentecostal Pastor!

I felt mortified and held the confusion in my heart.

I asked my parents if I could leave school as I wasn’t coping emotionally with school yard bullying.

They agreed and I became an apprentice Fitter and Turner at the British Tube Mills at Islington near our home at 23 Lancia Rd. Croydon Park.

Nothing prepared me as to what to expect working in a factory as an apprentice.

The vernacular of the workers was something else! I couldn’t believe it!

Besides, I was not coping physically with the type of training and work that was expected of me.

After two weeks I approached my parents and asked if I could go back to school and finish my leaving certificate.

Looking back, I can see they too were struggling with how to bring up a teenager in the Australian culture of the 1950s

My last year in High School was at Thebarton Tech. where I struggled to complete my Leaving Certificate.

After my school years, I got a job in the ANZ bank and felt relieved that bad language was not tolerated in the work place, especially when women were present.

I enjoyed the environment of working as a Teller and the Ledger department.

Although I was slow on the uptake I became proficient at my job and learned quickly the value of money and how to balance the books.

There were no computers in those days and all cheques were hand posted.

It was in 1957 I started to get board with the Bank work and wanted to leave home.

Little did I realise it was all in God’s plan.

My best friend at church Ian Scannell and I talked about it and decided to apply to go to Bible College.

I suppose I was feeling a tinge rebellious but my trend of thought continued to build.

It was January 1958, that Ian Scannell & I caught a plane to Brisbane and thus began the adventure of my life.

You can read that story by clicking on this link:

To cut a long story short Ill skip over my years serving as Missionary and Pastoral ministry in Australia between 1961 –  2004

To get back to the question as to why I want to return is because I have lasting friendships in Adelaide and it is the state of my Birth. 

My son lives there and my two remaining Sisters live there.

My Mother & Father are buried there and so are Andrew & Lorraine.

It’s not an easy decision at my age but by God’s grace we hope to ‘pull up stumps’ by the end of this year and begin the last part of our journey to the land of my ancestors.

I have spent the last 40 years of my life in Queensland, served the church to the best of my ability and have finished my course.

There is much more I could say including the possible joy I will get by being with Church family at Redemption House where Ted is the Pastor.

It is style of Church that is more organic than to the cooperate style of Church that I have been used to.

I looking forward to relaxing and playing the Hammond Organ that was given to the Church.

We will build a small cottage on the farm and hopefully see out our days in peace and tranquility with my first born son Ted as my carer. 

That’s the plan anyway!

 

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