Alexander Migan was born on Waiheke Island, New Zealand in 1873. At 13 years of age, after the death of his father Peter, he left school and went to sea on a variety of wooden sailing barques. The barques often carried kauri timber from the Coromandel peninsula back to Auckland and, at times, onto markets in Melbourne, Sydney, Fiji and New York. Later in his career as a sailor he worked on Northern Steamship Company steamers and sailed on the SS Moeraki to his wedding with Olive Quennell in Melbourne in 1908. He was a sailor for 38 years and was a committed union man, participating in the 1890 Auckland Maritime Strike and testifying in the Arbitration Court during the 1902 Seaman’s dispute. Alex moved to Melbourne around 1911 where he settled with his family at Small St, Hampton. He continued working as a sailor until about 1924, aged 51. After that he worked as a house painter before retirement. Pa Migan and his wife, who was known as ‘Dolly’, had two children; Alexander Bruce, who was born in Auckland in 1909 and my grandmother, Thelma Mary, who was born in Melbourne in 1912.