A migrant’s story – 2: Leaving Ceylon and landing in high spirits in Australia! BY RON PIERES My first journey out of Ceylon in March of 1974 was a very memorable one. My wife and I were migrating to Sydney, Australia. So, we sold most of our possessions as we had to pay for the tickets. We sold our worldly belongings, even clothes and my beloved transistor radio! We had to pay 66%  FEEC’s plus the cost of tickets. To purchase foreign exchange, it was called Foreign Exchange Entitlement Certificates. Our first visit was to the Taxation Office to obtain tax clearance. I bribed the peon RS10 to ensure the swift movement of our file from desk to desk for approval! We then had to go to the notorious 10th Floor of the CID to obtain clearance certificates to leave Ceylon. We did this without getting thrown out of the ...

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