In memory of those who are no longer with us
This story starts in a German repatriation camp, at the beginning of 1949. Good news spread quickly through the camp: Australian authorities agreed to take in migrant families with children. We suffered the war for many years and with it the nomadic life of camps’ dwellers as well as the blockade of Berlin. Now at last came a chance to emigrate. People, who saw no point in returning to their war-torn homeland, populated the camps. Although little was known about Australia, many applied to emigrate there. Initially, there were medical assessments and then the signing of a two year work contract. This required the immigrant* to work at whatever was offered. At last we were accepted by Australia.
We waited quite a long time for the eventual departure and on 25th May 1949, we left our camp at Fulda and headed for distant Australia. A train journey delivered us to the outskirts of the Italian city of Naples. Here we were accommodated at a stopover camp. Living conditions here were difficult. Italy like Germany was destroyed by the war. Food shortages prevailed, particularly of milk. Many families had small children and many of these fell ill. We waited nearly three weeks for a ship.
On June 15th, we boarded the passenger ship ‘Nelly’ and departed for far away places. A strange feeling of sadness and uncertainty prevailed as we left the shores of Europe. We were not sure of ever seeing this land again. Ahead lay a long journey to an unknown land, in which we placed all our hopes. The sea voyage was quite a trial. We left Europe in the height of summer and crossed the Red Sea in temperatures above forty degrees centigrade. The Indian Ocean greeted us with a terrible storm and eventually we arrived in Melbourne in the middle of winter.
We disembarked at Station Pier on July 15th. From there a train journey brought us to the transit migrant camp at Bonegilla. The train journey helped one appreciate how sparsely populated this country was. At the time of our arrival the population of Australia numbered seven and a half million - a big difference when compared to the recently departed Europe.
On arrival at Bonegilla, having passed the security check, we were accommodated in large tin huts in a manner similar to what was experienced on the passenger ship. Men slept in one quarter and women with children in another. No one had imagined that such a separation would last, in many cases, for two years. After a few days at the migrant camp we received new identity documentation and awaited allocation of work. Australia was experiencing a large labour shortage. However, the coal miners’ strike and the resultant shortage of electricity meant we had to wait three weeks at Bonegilla.
On the eight of August 1949, I was one of forty men designated to work at the Air Force Stores in Tottenham. There we were also provided with food and living quarters. Our wives and children remained at Bonegilla. It was very difficult to find accommodation for a family with children and so began the painful period of family separation. I and others in my group were very lucky. The commander of our unit had influence with immigration authorities and with his help our families were moved closer to Tottenham.
They were accommodated at Somers, about seventy kilometres away. This enabled us to meet with our wives and children at least once a week. Many families, however, remained separated by distances of two hundred to four hundred kilometres. This gave rise to many problems. This living apart from our families was most difficult to bear. What can be done to reunite parents and children, how can families live together again? Such thoughts occupied the afflicted minds and hearts. The bus and train journeys were filled with concerns and talk of this burden. As I met with people on my way to Somers, I learnt how individuals, faced with the same plight, managed to cope.
First priority was to buy a building block. Some made their purchase in Sunshine, others in Newport and some in St Albans. Each of these suburbs consisted of a handful of houses clustered near the railway station and a local pub or some factory building. Beyond the houses lay openness and uninhabited land. The building blocks were not serviced with roads, water, electricity or gas; their price however put them within reach of the newly arrived.
In 1950-57, Sunshine was a settlement comprising of houses either side of the railway station, one could see a few houses near the church of Our Lady and beyond that an open place which extended to Tottenham. To the south, on the far side of the stream, a few houses dotted an open field, which extended to Geelong Road. To the west we had the church of St. Teresa, a few houses up to the stream and further west empty spaces again. Beyond the electrified line were located five or six houses and beyond that one could see only factory buildings. I often recall the talk I heard on my way home from Somers on a Sunday night. Someone would remark that he purchased a property in Sunshine. Another would ask, ‘Where is that?’ Before an answer could be given, a third person would interject: ‘Don’t you know? It's where the wind dances’. This was an apt description as the wide open country really did provide a space for the wind to blow freely.
Over time people began buying land in West Sunshine. Building however was a difficult matter. Building materials were in short supply. To make a purchase one had to have a building permit approved by the Council. There were other worries as well. It was necessary to purchase the material in whole house lots. This meant having the money up front, then storage, later the process of construction hampered by problems with time and transport as it was necessary to commute from the migrant hostel. The bicycle was the only mean of transport in many cases. It was necessary to overcome these difficulties and to begin the process of building. Some people managed on their own, others needed help and others engaged the help of builders. Gradually wooden frames of huts, part houses and even whole house frames arose like white skeletons. The momentum of the building process increased as the owners hurried to erect the roof and walls so that at last people could move in and occupy their own dwelling. It was not easy to live in a dwelling where water and electricity were not connected, where washing, bathing and cooking facilities were very primitive. Water had to be carried by bucket, cooking was done over a primus stove and a candle or a kerosene lamp were used for lighting. There was no public transport to Sunshine so we walked or rode bicycles. In wet weather access to Forest Street was particularly difficult. Mud was sticky and deep, bicycles had to be carried. School children had great difficulty having to walk to the only Catholic school beyond the station in Monash Street. New arrivals in Newport, St Albans and Glenroy lived in similar conditions.
In the early 1950’s, the neighbouring suburbs had two Catholic churches; St Teresa’s in Albion and Our Lady’s in Sunshine. I remember the first Mass Fr Glover celebrated in a tent in Glengala Road. Not many could fit inside the tent and most of us stood outside in the rain. With the purchase of land in each of the four segments of our large parish, time came to build the churches. For this, tin huts were purchased and these had to be assembled to serve as our first church buildings. A lot of work went into construction, renovation and outfitting, but at last each region had its own Church. Soon these churches became too small to accommodate the quickly growing numbers of parishioners. Plans were mooted for the construction of new and proper church buildings. Because of the large number of different religions in Australia, the government did not offer financial assistance in construction of churches or private schools (however this changed with time). The faithful had to use their own resources to cater for the rapidly increasing needs of schools and church buildings. Each parish had to find their own means to meet this demand. I remember Fr Glover’s sermon during the blessing of one of our early churches. He said: ‘We’ve taken a small step in the direction of establishing a parish. Ahead of us is a long road demanding much effort’. It was indeed a long road to travel. It took fifteen years to build a new church and provide a school for the parish.
Ardeer was the first subdivision to have the school built. In place of the present school, a four-classroom school was opened in 1953. This school was open to the children from the nearby region as well. It was during those years that we saw the growth of various Polish clubs and societies. We had the Polish Charity Association of Sunshine, Polish School and a Soccer Club. A hall was built near the school and here we held our meetings and dances. Ardeer had grown at a rapid pace. Shops were established and access was improved with new roads. Power and water services were connected. Many residents now travelled on motorbikes or in cars. For a long time Fr Glover made efforts to bring nuns into our parish. The school in Ardeer had filled with pupils and the continuing demand for more places resulted in the construction of a new school in Glengala Road in 1954. The endeavours of Fr Glover were successful and we had Canadian nuns join our community in Ardeer. They taught children in both schools. The Polish Charity Association grew steadily as demand for its activities had extended. It helped those in need, organised dances and looked after youth organizations. It helped other organizations, and carried out collections for the Red Cross. A lot of effort went into the construction of a hall, which could serve the whole community. There was also the question of finance. This burden had to be carried by the Polish community alone. This project took a lot of time, as the building of the Church was our first priority. Building of the Church became part of our life. Gradually foundations were laid, and then the walls and roof went up. At last in 1966 Ardeer had the most beautiful, though not the largest, Church in the parish. The Church of the Mother of God was blessed at a well-attended ceremony.
Ardeer in those years became a typical suburb. Roads were made, water connected. Small huts disappeared and in their places stood new houses. Streets and gardens displayed greenery and beauty of nature. The poor image of twenty years ago disappeared and only remains a memory in photographs. The hard work of building one’s own house had passed and our attention turned to work on a Polish Community Hall. A block of land was purchased and plans were approved by the Council. Only the ‘easy’ part remained, finance and construction. After much deliberation members of the community from Sunshine and Sunshine North formed an Association. Money was collected and the building began. Work on the project was long and hard.
In the end of 1975 we poured foundations and it took another twelve months to finish the building. Many helped in the construction but only a handful can take the credit of having lasted from beginning to end. Although the opening and blessing of the Hall took place in 1976, a lot of work and expense had to be put in during the ensuing years. This Community Hall plays a big role in our social life and everyone who put hard work into the project should be very proud of their efforts. Though some of the workers on this project are no longer with us, those following in their footsteps, particularly people enjoying the fruit of their labours, should remember them.
