Graham McKay was only 15 years old when he and his brother left their home in Scotland, to start a new life in Australia.
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They were, as Mr McKay put it, “farm fodder’ and Australia offered more opportunities.
Six months earlier, Mr McKay had been introduced to the idea of emigrating by another farm worker.
So he applied to the Big Brother Movement, a youth migration program, but was initially rejected because of his age.
But when older brother Colin, then 17, decided to sign up, Big Brother agreed to send the pair together.
They left their home and family in Stonehaven just before Christmas in 1961 and headed to London for the three-and-a-half week voyage to Australia on board the Himalaya.
The brothers were in a group of about 22 “Little Brothers” heading to Australia for a new life.
The Himalaya docked initially in Fremantle, before stopping in Melbourne and eventually reaching its final destination of Sydney.
“I still remember landing in Fremantle because we’d spent 10 days straight at sea. and I think I realised ‘Hey, this isn’t going to be a quick trip home’,” Mr McKay said.
“It was great to see land and it was great to hit Australia.
“And I remember the sun was shining and because it was Christmas time, it was hot. There was fruit on the trees everywhere, and I thought 'Yeah, we’ve come to a good spot here’.”
The brothers spent some time in Sydney, on a Big Brother Movement farm, before being sent to work on neighbouring farms in Deniliquin.
"That was where I was reborn. In Australia,” Mr McKay said.
In Deniliquin, the brothers regularly caught up with other Little Brothers who had been sent to work on farms in the area, often to play soccer.
A call-up for National Service saw Colin McKay leave Deniliquin and he eventually settled in Sydney.
Mr McKay remained in Deniliquin for most of the next 20 years. He met wife Lyn there and they were raising two sons and two daughters, but eventually moved to Wagga.
Mr McKay has visited Britain several times since leaving, but his first return “home” was not until 28 years after he left.
A reunion of Little Brothers will be held in Sydney on November 5 and 6. For details, see the website or call 02 9233 4005.