Itchy Feet" didn't give him any peace.

Fred was attracted as if by a magnet to Sydney Australia in May 1961 - Today he gains information about "goings-on" in Cologne from the Internet.

Cologne. Generally Rhinelaenders do not like to travel, especially far from the Rhineland. This statement comes from a Cologne Brewery with the argument that a Koelner( Rhinelander) loves his brand-name beer more than he loves to travel. But there are exceptions to this rule! After all there are other nice places in the world.
Fred Lehmann thought the same. In 1948, on his seventh birthday, Fred Lehmann arrived in Koeln-Nippes as a "war refugee" from Gdansk. Today he lives in a beautiful city called Launceston in Tasmania , in the far south of Australia. Even although he loved his life in Cologne, he also had the desire to travel and see the world. A work mate talked him into migrating with him to Australia. At the last moment the workmate "backed-out".
Fred stood by his decision because of his "itchyfeet" and sense of adventure. In May 1961 he travelled, by boat, to Melbourne Australia and then further on to Sydney. Soon he began digging for "Black Opals" in Lightning Ridge in the far North of the state of New South Wales. A very profitable enterprise that later enabled him to go back to Cologne to once again taste his beloved Koelsches Beer. On the way back to Germany he visited Northern and Central America. In 1964 Fred made his decision to return to Australia where he found employment in his trade as a plumber. He specialised in plumbing design in the field of Multi-storied buildings and worked in this field in Sydney and Brisbane .
Today Fred is retired from this field of work and lives with his wife, Jeanette, in the wonderful city of Launceston in the Tamar Valley Wine Region of Tasmania. His newest hobby is the Internet where he keeps in contact with the world. On his own homepage, he presents his life story and offers links to interesting sites in Cologne and worldwide . Once in a while he has an urge to have a fresh "Koesch" beer. So he takes himself a Cologne Beer Glass, given to him by a friend in Cologne, pours himself a Boags Beer( Launceston's famous beer) and dreams of his "local" in Cologne.

  Interview with Center-TV in Cologne, 28/04/2006

If you would like to know more about his adventures in Australia, continue on with the rest of Fred's story below

Pictures of Australia Next Page>>

View My Guestbook
Sign My Guestbook