Description:My name is Lurline Milligan and I was born in the parish of St Thomas, Jamaica. I come from a family of seven. I am 83 years old and am thankful for a blessed life. I came to England in 1955 and lived in Sparkbrook for about a year. I eventually moved to Handsworth where I met and married my husband.
Originally I wanted to train and do nursing and came over for a better quality of life. After a few weeks in nursing I found out that I did not like it, so I left and got a job as a bus conductress with the West Midlands Passenger Transport (WPT). I worked as a bus conductress for over 22 years.
I also trained part time in hairdressing and eventually started to do it more. I specialised in mainly African-Caribbean styles, which I did for six years. I began to foster at the age of 59 and I did that for over 17 years. My years of fostering were very hard but also rewarding. I enjoyed caring for all of the children and I also learnt a lot from them.
I have been keeping busy since my retirement and have been keeping active along with attending classes and learning ICT with the Workers’ Educational Association in Newtown, Birmingham.
Photograph courtesy of Lurline Milligan