Emails from Australia, a Postscript - Stan Taylor
Edited by Dave Shotton
Readers may recall an article in the January 2018 Newsletter edited from a series of recent emails from former KMC member Stan Taylor who has been living in Australia since 1950. Stan told a story of meeting an unidentified KMC member at a Manchester railway station many years ago, who was about to set off for New Zealand carrying just a rucksack and a fishing rod. (The station was possibly the Exchange station – now demolished but situated opposite Manchester Cathedral just over the River Irwell in Salford, and a little distance from Victoria station). Iain McCallum emailed with a likely suggestion:
The person Stan is referring to is Robert Elliott who was a founder member of the KMC – Bowden Black use to tell the same story but he met him in to London Road Station. I wonder whether Bowden got the story from Stan or vice versa or could both of them have met Bob E. Bob – in 1949-50 Bob was living in Levenshulme, he moved to NZ in 1951/52, by 1955 he was back in the UK living in Annan, Dumfries in Scotland... Very interesting article – making a living beekeeping!
London Road Station became Manchester Piccadilly after 1960. Iain was in touch with Bob Elliott for a few years before Bob died (at the age of 90), and wrote an obituary appreciation which appeared in the July 2013 Newsletter.
I passed the above information back to Stan; however, this didn’t quite solve the mystery as Stan pointed out that, given the above dates, Stan would have already sailed for Australia by the time Bob left for NZ! Stan wrote in reply:
The stories about Bob Elliott ring a bell but the timing doesn't, If Bowden's story date was accurate then we both must have shared similar experiences at different times and in different places as I am sure that my encounter was at Exchange (or Victoria) station and it must have been in 1948 or 49 as I left Liverpool on 13 July 1950 and had been living in Darfield (east of Barnsley) for about a year previous to sailing.
I do remember Bob's poaching stories and I can recall his (now lost) first letter from NZ in which he described life on a fruit picking camp where some of the wages were paid by very "friendly" ladies whose fees were paid by the management.
Yes, we are well into summer now. Officially it starts on 1 December and, by now, we should have had some days in the low 40s (C) but this year has been very mild and less fluctuation than usual. Our daily max has been in the 30 - 36 deg C range and the nights have been cool enough to wear a light sheet.
Currently the bees are collecting nectar and pollen from the Red Gums. These used to be called Eucalyptus calophylla but the name was changed some years ago to Corymbia calophylla for technical reasons that I haven't bothered to look up. The bees seem to have adjusted to the changed nomenclature and work just the same as they have done in the past...
The winter ice meet in NW Italy sounds quite exciting. Our daughter's former husband's parents came from there, close to the Swiss border and Ralph has some cousins still there growing fruit and other forms of farming.
Just before Christmas we had a visitor from Anglesey and he gave a talk at the beekeepers' society. Of course, I told him that I was familiar with the area and spoke to him of the East face of Tryfan to which he replied that his youngest son had been climbing there on the previous weekend. Apparently, beekeeping in UK is going through bad times just now.
Best wishes. Hope you enjoy North Italy.
