Greerton resident Flip Ellett hasn't looked back since she and her husband left England on the Captain Cook, in search of a better life. Yesterday marked 50 years since the TSS Captain Cook docked in New Zealand for the final time. More than 29,000 people, mostly from Britain, travelled on theNew Zealand Government's immigration ship from her first voyage as the Captain Cook in 1952 to the last voyage in 1959. Mrs Ellett, now 89, was 32 and pregnant with the couple's second child when she boarded the ship in May 1952 with husband Reg and their three-year-old-son, Keith. The family left their 10-acre raspberry and strawberry farm in Kent where they were struggling to make a profit, bound for Taranaki. "It was the best thing we ever did," Mrs Ellett said. The six-week journey was unforgettable. "I was seasick every day except one." Sadly, the couple's daughter, Christine, was born following their arrival but lived only two weeks. The couple left thinking they had sold their property in England but the sale fell through and they told their agent to get what he could for the property. He sent the couple just £ 180. Mr Ellett got a job on a farm in Ngahinepuri, near Hamilton, and one day decided to visit the Bay of Plenty. The couple fell in love with the place and spent two years in Opotiki before securing a housing loan and moving to Omokoroa for 10 months while their home was built in Clarke Rd, Gate Pa. The couple had two more children, Geoff and Jill.
