Jo Bell and Kevin Bell - Our Korea Connection

Copyright:
This book is copyright 2018. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without permission from the author. Every effort to comply with copyright requirements has been made by seeking permission and acknowledging owners of source material used in the text.

Disclaimer:
This book is a collection of memories and reports. Information gathered has come from a wide variety of sources; minutes books, newspapers, library archives, academic reports and other digital and online material, and not limited only to the sources acknowledged here. The personal stories and memories by individuals recorded here are their version of events and have been both provided and reproduced in good faith with no disrespect or defamation intended. Every effort has been made to ensure the researched information is correct. No liability for incorrect information or factual errors will be accepted by the author.

ISBN:
9780648273608 Paperback
9780648273615 Hard Cover
9780648273622 eBook

Printing:
Lightning Source | (AUS)

Design cover and interior:
Pickawoowoo Publishing Group
Printed & Channel Distribution
Lightning Source | Ingram (USA/UK/EUROPE/AUS)

Thank you Dear God for opening this pathway to Korea for us.

Thank you Columban missionaries for taking us into your family.

CHAPTER 1: Our Early Beginnings

CHAPTER 2: The Joining of Our Lives

CHAPTER 3: Our Korean Beginnings

CHAPTER 4: The Action Starts

CHAPTER 5: Getting Into Korean Life

CHAPTER 6: Our First Closure

CHAPTER 7: Re-Opening

CHAPTER 8: The Family Grows, and the Pathway Changes

CHAPTER 9: Winding Down Again

CHAPTER 10: Becoming Established Aussies

CHAPTER 11: A Surprise Return in 1999!

CHAPTER 12: Family Re-Connects with Korea

CHAPTER 13: Another Korean Adoption and an American Wedding!

CHAPTER 14: A Re-Union Visit

CHAPTER 15: Farewelling Friends, 2011

CHAPTER 16: More Korea Connections and Another Visit

I really dont want to go to Korea! Its a freezing cold colourless place where people only wear Khaki and fight wars!

For two fourth generation Australians in the early 1970s, the only vision of Korea we had was from recalling newspaper articles about the Korean War in the 1950s, when many Australians died of the cold as well as the war. As a child, that image of Korea was imprinted on my mind, and it was the last place in the world I wanted to go to. However, we had been offered an opportunity to go and work there as lay missionaries.

This is the story of how accepting that offer in blind faith completely changed and unbelievably enriched our life journey, including our family, and their children, in fact forever.

Map of South Korea

We really have received a close family connection with the Columban missionaries, from the time we first met some priests in Bacchus Marsh, when they came up from Essendon to be locums at our Parish when our priest was ill. We were fascinated to hear them talking about their Mission work, and when we told them we wished to work as lay missionaries, they gave us the connection with Korea. Over the next 45 years, they have treated us as part of their family, wherever we visit them in Perth, Seoul, Jeju, Japan, Manila, Ireland and Melbourne. When we went to Melbourne to watch Peter play in a Grand Final with the Kangaroos, they were delighted to provide accommodation in their magnificent Essendon Centre, and even more delighted when the Roos won the Grand Final!

Columban Sisters really looked after us with their medical care, providing a Hospital at Mokpo, Korea, where 2 of our sons were born, and their wonderful medical carers, especially Dr. Sr. Enda, both in Mokpo and Hallim on Jeju. We also have enjoyed visiting Columban Sisters in Seoul and Ireland over the years when we travel.

Poor Clare Sisters on Jeju in Korea were loving sisters for us, and loving aunties for our children. They also gave us much spiritual growth. We still enjoy attending Mass at their Chapel, which has become the Kumac Parish Church.

We also thank and acknowledge PALMS (Paulian Association Lay Missionary Society), which trained us to be Lay Missionaries back in 1972. They appointed us to go to Lombardina in the Kimberley, however we were asked to give up the family house to a new nursing sister who also had family so they could not accommodate us. However, we went to Korea instead, hence our Korea Connection. We did move up to Broome in 2010 and often go up to Lombardina a special place! PALMS gave us a good opening to accept different cultures and people.

We thank and praise our dear departed Parents, who humbly tolerated our unusual life choices, taking us far away from them. They were always glad to see us and our increasing family, and they supported us in any way they could. We also thank and praise our six sons and one daughter, their spouses and the 16 grandchildren which we have so far. They do not regard us as being crazy to have taken up our Korea connection, in fact those who remember living in that country are somewhat grateful for that very different experience. Peter is also grateful to us for bringing him to Australia as our adopted son as he has had a great AFL football history, and is now enjoying working on the ABC radio.

We are very grateful to all Korean people who have been part of our lives over the last 45 years. We still enjoy meeting up with Korean people, even in Broome! When we greet them with their language, they treat us as dear relatives, and we feel like that too.

My mother was born Essie Janette Draffin, the first child of Amelia and Robert Draffin, who at the time had a dairy farm in Traralgon, Gippsland, Victoria. They later moved to a farm at Clarkefield, 40 km North of Melbourne. There were seven children in the family, but sadly their Father died of facial cancer when the youngest was only a baby and Essie (my Mum) was twelve. Mum had to grow up quickly to care for her siblings, as their mother was stricken with grief at losing her husband so prematurely. A swagman called Jack Humphries came along and offered his help, and built himself a hut on their farm, where he lived and worked for the rest of his life. Grandma must have recovered enough to send Mum to Kyneton District High school, which was an hours train ride North from Clarkefield. Her younger siblings stayed home and helped on the farm, but Mum trained as a primary school teacher, working around country Victoria for a few years. My Grandma had a grand piano, and all her offspring learned to play it. Both Mum and her sister Mary became piano teachers.