News

Former Shepway lad, Ron Colman now lives in Strathalbyn, 35 miles from Adelaide but although he speaks in an Aussie accent  and the town is regarded as one of the most attractive  in South Australia, he has never lost his love for England.

Born in Cheriton in 1939, Ron has a brother John Tapping aka Raymond, who lives in Folkestone and works for the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway, and a sister Pat.

As a young man, Ron was a keen dancer and could often be found tripping the light fantastic at the Don and Joy Dance studio in The Bayle Folkestone.

The family lived in Woodville Close, Cheriton and Ron worked locally for the NAAFI before he paid his £10 and sailed from Tilbury to Australia in December 1960.

From the freezing cold winter of 1960, he was welcomed to the Antipedes in January 1961, by a heat wave with temperatures hitting 104F.

Ron settled in the farming village of Strathalbyn. It was a quiet place in those days bemoaned Ron, but it now has a rapidly growing population of 2600, with many people from the city who know nothing about rural life moving into the small town.

In 1963 Ron married Jean Goodall from Hawkinge, whose father was secretary of the Shepway Labour Party. Unfortunately the marriage didn't last and they were divorced in 1971.

Ron never re-married and hung up his driving gloves 5 years ago after working for 20 years as a chauffeur and limousine driver showing tourists around the local wineries and the tourist sites in the Adelaide area.

He also worked as a chauffeur to Dame Roma Mitchell when she was the Governor of South Australia, who he said "was a truly wonderful lady."

Ron returned to England in 1991 and visited his old dance studio at The Bayle. Whilst there he met Pat ( not his sister) and they struck up a friendship, but he had to return to Australia and lost touch with her.

In 1993 he came back, to look for Pat but to no avail and he returned home disappointed.

Years passed when suddenly, out of the blue in 2006, his brother called to say he had met Pat at a boot fair in Elham and from that chance meeting Ron and Pat have stayed in contact ever since.

Ron is hoping to travel to England again next year when he will be able to see his mother who is 99 this year and a resident in a Saltwood Nursing home and his family, and of course his long lost special friend Pat who lives in the Hawkinge area.

Ron said he has never lost his love of England and spends a lot of time listening to BCC Radio Kent on the world wide web, especially his favourites, Pat Marsh and presenter and comic entertainer Paul James.

Looking back at his time in Hawkinge, he said he was shocked at the loss of the airfield to new homes.

"It's a pity to see this but it is the same the world over. City people are moving into my home town as well and the population is growing far too quickly. The world is a different place from when I left 47 years ago on that cold December day in 1960.

Editor's note: If this story stirs any memories or you have your own story to tell, email us here.