The last page of his letter to his grandfather also includes notes to his mother and to his sister, and space for the addressee William Barr. The ship was dismasted in a storm shortly after passing Cape Leeuwin; the broken masts and rigging were thrown overboard, and the crew rigged jury masts for the remaining distance to Port Adelaide. The passage of the India had been a hard one: it was dismasted twice, episodes that were potentially frightening for people making the bold move of migrating to a new land.

Thomas says nothing of his arrival in his new homeland; he wrote this letter to his grandfather and posted it the next day. Two post marks are clearly visible, Adelaide and Glasgow.

Thomas Gemmell variously worked farms at Mitcham and Morphett Vale and also worked as a teamster at Burra, before going to the Victorian gold fields. When he returned he was able to buy land at Strathalbyn, married Elizabeth Inglis, raised a family and grew wheat for a few years before switching to sheep. He died in 1897, a highly respected member of his community.

Adelaide observer , 19 June 1897 page 24 col. a-b The late Mr Thomas Gemmell