Refugee gallery

After the Pinochet bloody coup on the 11th of September of 1973 thousand of Chileans, left Chile for Perú, and many arrived in Lima. I was one of them. Most of us Chileans were well received by the Limeños. There was a lot of sympathy towards our case. The ferocity of the coup in Chile caused a great impact in the international community. We were, however, stranded in Lima. Many Chileans did not even have proper documentation or a visa to stay and work in Perú. The Peruvian Government, on the other hand, was not pleased to have so many of us there. It was at this point that the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) decided to intervene by providing support not only to those Chileans living in Peru, but those living in many other countries of Latin America. It was in Perú were many of us, who came to Scotland on a bus, become refugees. Others, who arrived at a later stage, become refugees in Argentina. In an act of great generosity and understanding, the British government of the day accepted us here. It was, however, the generosity of the hundred of people working on the Chile Solidarity Campaign in Britain who took care of all of us once we arrived in Britain.

When I arrived in Glasgow in 1974 I went to live at 30 Kersland St. a beautiful flat in the West End of the city. Suzi, an American girl from Montana, offered me accommodation and I was happy here. Suzi was a very kind person. I remember that in our flat there was a lovely Piano de Cola. Suzi met Roberto Naduris, a gentle socialist Chilean. They married in Glasgow and after that they moved to live in the US. Roberto died in that country. A big pal of Roberto was another gentle Chilean: ‘el Flaco’ Antonio Valenzuela who went to marry Aliette a French girl. They moved to France and Antonio died in that country. Tito Alvarez originally from Chiloe died in Glasgow and another Chilean, who is in one of the pictures, returned to Chile and in 2004 becomes the head of ENAP, a highly paid executive post, forgot everything about solidarity and socialism and become embroiled in 2009 in a very serious scandal. The pictures below were facilitated to me by Suzi.

Cuando llegué a Glasgow in 1974 viví en el departamento de Suzi, una chica de Montana, en la Calle Kersland Street 30. Aquí había un lindo piano de cola. Suzi una persona muy gentil me ofreció acomodación gratis y después a otros chilenos refugiados: entre ellos su futuro marido chileno Roberto Naduris persona de quien tengo grandes recuerdos. Roberto y Suzi se fueron a vivir a los Estados Unidos y allí se nos murió Roberto. Sufría de problemas de corazón. Algunos años después se moriría en Francia su gran amigo el Flaco Antonio Valenzuela quien caso con Arlette. Tito Alvares originariamente de Chiloe murió en Glasgow trabajando en parques y Jardines, y otro chileno que aparece en una de las fotografías de abajo a su regreso a Chile, se convirtió en el 2004 en un alto ejecutivo de la ENAP, se olvidó todo acerca de la solidaridad que recibió en Escocia y de su socialismo. La carrera de este executivo terminó junto a sus lindas corbatas, según los periódicos chilenos del 2009, en un escándalo. Las fotografías de abajo me las facilito Suzi para mi sitio. Gracias Suzi.  

1974 Home Office's document very
important for the chilean Refugee people-certificate of registration with the police

1974. Journey from London to Glasgow. I with Marcela Verdugo, a Paula
magazine columnist.

1978. Chilean exiles in Edinburgh-Meadows. Marcela, her daughter marcelita,
Juan Carlos, Luis Hermosilla

1975 Calos Above, below At Drumchapel,Glasgow,Tulio Bravo,
Carlos Lno Homobone

1974. A stop from London to Glasgow:
Tulio Bravo, Marcela Verdugo,
Carlos and Beatriz Carreño

1970 -Demo-Liverpool by the Pier-
Carmen Castillo been released from
prison in Chile ,Glasgow Folk Group
played-Carlos Tulio and Hugo