AN Australian travelled 10,000 miles to trace her family history and see the Bolton cottage where her father was born.

Mother-of-four Helen Marsden, from Brisbane, paid a flying visit to her father’s birthplace after getting in contact with the owner of the house, Ajmal Hussain, of Manchester Road, Great Lever.

Wilfred Cornett was born in the cottage in 1904 and lived in Bolton until the age of about 23 when he emigrated to Australia.

Mrs Marsden, aged 71, a retired public servant, said: “He was a young adventurer and he went to Australia.

“He used to tell us how he first climbed Rivington Pike at the age of three. He sang a song about it.

“He used to talk about the house and his sisters, He had an older brother and four sisters.

“I had no idea what to expect. I just knew it was a two-storey whitish building with a lovely big garden.

“I wanted to see it after all this time. He did talk about it for many years.”

Next April, Mrs Marsden and husband Terry, aged 75, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary and decided to go on the trip of a lifetime, having never been overseas together.

Their itinerary includes an eight-day tour of the Scottish Highlands, London, Manchester, Zurich in Switzerland, a river cruise from Basel to Amsterdam before a three-night stay in Paris.

Mrs Marsden said: “We’ve just not had the opportunity until now. We’re really enjoying it.”

Mr Cornett, who had worked in engineering and died in 1996, brought Mrs Marsden and his other daughter Dorothy, who lives in Victoria, to visit the UK 31 years ago.

Mrs Marsden said: “We have been entertained beautifully by Ajmal and his wife Razia.

“We have really enjoyed looking around the cottage.

“My father was born in 1904. He was probably the last of six children born here.

“The house stayed with the family until the 1950s or 60s, maybe even later.”

Mr and Mrs Hussain, who have lived in the 200-year-old cottage for almost 11 years and have five children, took the pair to see Rivington Pike.

Mr Hussain, a partner in AGH Solicitors, St George's Road, said: “I was very keen to learn about the history of the house. It was exciting to show them around. I was probably as excited as they were.

“They are very nice people.”