Barbara Jankowski, left Germany with her two sisters (Judith and Karin) and her mother (Magdalena), on the 16th December 1958. She was 12 when she left Germany to come to Australia. Magdalena had responsibility for her three daughters and Germany wasn't a suitable place to raise young women.

They were living on the border of East Germany, people would cross the border from East Germany and there were often raids. It wasn't safe and they had to leave.