TOWARDS the end of March this year our ex-pats’ section featured Dennis Craig, formerly of Golcar, now 86 and living in Australia.

Just to recap, Dennis lives in a nursing home in Burton, north of Adelaide.

He first wrote to us when he got hold of a copy of the Examiner which carried a story about Ruth, the wife of Head Of Content Andy Hirst, and the trials of midwifery conducted in the teeth of a snowstorm.

Mr Craig’s mother was a Colne Valley midwife.

“In 1937 I left Crow Lane School and two days later was taken on as an apprentice electrician with F W Taylor and Son on Manchester Road, Milnsbridge,” he said. “That same month, July, my mother became the WRCC midwife for Golcar, Wellhouse, Crimble, Bolster Moor, Scapegoat Hill and Scammonden.

“We were living in Scar Lane, Golcar, which was in the Huddersfield Borough area so we had to move to Station Road, Golcar.

“For about 30 years mum delivered babies in Colne Valley and attended the antenatal clinic held monthly at Golcar town hall.”

Dennis, who says he used to go courting over Eastergate Bridge, got married and lived for a short time in Spring Street, Marsden, and then bought two cottages at Carr Top Lane, Golcar. “The cottages are now one house and look out over Wellhouse,” he said.

He emigrated 50 years ago as a “£10 Pom” – the price of a one way passage – and has enjoyed a long and fruitful life in Australia.

“I love to keep in touch with the Colne Valley,’’ he said. “Crow Lane School holds many pleasant memories. I received a sound grounding in skills which have stood me in good stead through a long working life.”

Mr Craig would love to hear from Huddersfield people. His address is Room F8, Domus Operosa, 316-379 Waterloo Corner Road, Burton, South Australia 5110.

The original article caught the eye of Jane Bray, a class teacher at Crow Lane Primary School, Milnsbridge. “As he used to live in the area where I now teach my class decided to write to him,” she said.

“My class first researched where he now lives right down to finding pictures of his nursing home in Australia, then started to write to him.

“First we sent him a booklet detailing the history of the school. Then the class wrote him a letter each telling him about themselves and how Golcar and Milnsbridge have changed, which we posted off to him.

“ We've had two replies from him so far; first he sent the booklet about the school back, with annotations and even circled a photos of himself in the booklet. Then he wrote an individual reply to each of the children’s letters. Quite a feat for an 86-year-old!

“The children were absolutely thrilled, as you can imagine. One of his comments which appeared in several letters was “you’ve made an old man very happy”.

In the coming weeks we’ll be looking at how this relationship develops.