A FORMER Verdin High School pupil who emigrated to Australia as a teenager has revisited Winsford for the first time in almost half a century.

Alan Bond, 62, lived in Winsford for four years with his family during the 60s, after spending several years in Kensington and Kirby.

When he was 13, his father received a job offer in Australia, and the family subsequently moved to Sydney.

Now, some 47 years later, Alan has returned to the town of his youth, meeting a number of old friends and acquaintances, as well as visiting his former school, which is now the Winsford Academy.

He brought with him a ‘little piece of Australia’, a wall clock that will be proudly displayed in the school.

He said: “It shows you the map of Australia and its icons. It has the koala bear, the kangaroo, the aborigine and the Sydney Opera House. Each one represents a different state of territory.

“I’ve brought a little piece of Australia back with me.”

Alan says he has been planning his trip for the past decade.

After seeing how the town had changed using Google Maps, he decided he had to come and see for himself.

One thing that hasn’t changed in all those years is Foodcraft, which was high on his list of places to visit.

“I bought some pies and fish and chips,” he said. “They were beautiful. Now I can see why they’ve won so many awards over the years.

“They’ve got the right recipe there, that’s why people keep on coming back.”

The Winsford Academy certainly has changed in the many years that has passed since he crossed the pond.

And Alan had some words of encouragement for the Winsford’s next generation of young adults.

He said: “The kids who go to this school here, they have everything front of them. What they have in this school now, we never had that in our day.

“All I would say to these kids today is, if you’re in the academy, put your mind to what you want to do and you'll get there. You’ll become a better person.

“We never had this before, but now they’ve got it, so harness it.”