A LARGE family who emigrated 50 years ago in search of a better life have returned to live East Lancashire.

Tony Salisbury, 61, was the last member of his family to move back to Rishton, following his six sisters who had already made their return to the area.

The Salisbury family emigrated to Zimbabwe, formerly Southern Rhodesia, in 1958 when father Leonard took a job as a printer at a small factory.

Tony said: “There were lots of job opportunities back then and my parents thought it would be better to bring us up over there. But now it seems times have changed and we are better off here.”

In recent years Zimbabwe’s leader Robert Mugabe, who came to power in 1980 and this year clung to office despite losing an election, has pursued nationalist policies against the minority white population.

Zimbabwe is currently in the grip of a cholera outbreak and out-going American president George W Bush has added his voice to worldwide calls for president Mugabe to step down from power.

Tony said that Zimbabwe’s ‘downward spiral’ started president Mugabe was accused of being ‘racist towards Zimbabwe’s white minority’.

He added: ”There was, and still is, a lot of controversy in Africa and things aren’t getting any better. I had a good management job back there, but this country is welcoming and i’m just glad to be back.”

Eldest sister, Sheila, was the first to move back to the area and Tony said she ‘started something’.

He added: “I suppose we all followed Sheila back to East Lancashire because we have all stayed close over the years. I am the last one to join them and I am very happy.”

And his five other sisters, Maureen, Pauline, Janice, Elaine and Wendy, who also followed Sheila back to Blackburn have ‘settled’ with their husbands and children.

He added: “It feels fantastic to be back where we belong.”