BONEGILLA, 11.12.47, Thurs. In the morning my lungs were x-rayed, then I went into another room where my English skills were evaluated. I was put into group 1b, and in the afternoon school began. The teacher spoke only English the whole time, but I understood him really well.
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| There's a bit of journalistic fancy in the "man above welcomed an X-ray after years in a Nazi prison camp", since it was more likely to be years digging trenches for the Nazi military, for the men at least, or some time in a Allied prisoner-of-war camp before being released into a DP camp: What's more, all had been X-rayed in Germany before being selected for the Heintzelman Source: Courier-Mail, 15 December 1947 |
We were divided into two groups of sixteen and each group has its own teacher, with only little grasp of the German language.
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| Sourced from a private scrapbook which, in turn, did not give its source |
BONEGILLA, 13.12.47, Sat. Yesterday it started raining, today again it rained heavily and the sun was constantly hidden behind the clouds. On Thursday I saw a small, cute bear outside the kitchen, and today it climbed up the birch tree by the microphone and gazed around at the crowd which stood there marvelling at it.
The troublemakers arrived too - they just can’t stand there peacefully and watch. One picked up a stick and poked the little bear, another shook the tree, until it jumped down and ran off. What people they are.*
In the afternoon we were given five shillings pocket money, so at least I can now buy some tobacco.
BONEGILLA, 14.12.47, Sun. Today we didn’t have to go to school, maybe that’s why it was a little boring. All morning I played cards, and in the afternoon I swam in the nearby lake.
Kola and I dived for small white stones which we threw into the water. The water was so warm I didn’t want to come out. It could be a wonderful life here, if only there wasn’t such a huge swarm of flies buzzing around.
Early in the evening I went to the shop for tobacco and happened to speak to a young Australian girl, but couldn’t understand a single word she said. Is it possible that Australians speak differently to our English teachers?
BONEGILLA, 15.12.47, Mon. No school today either, it was my group’s turn for domestic duties. There wasn’t a great deal to do – sweating in the hot sun we cut the grass around the movie room. I didn’t return in the afternoon either, instead I spent all afternoon by the lake swimming and diving. When I returned, I wrote Merry an airmail letter, hoping my pleasant words make her happy.
Late in the evening, when I was already in bed, some men brought in a large tortoise, which had withdrawn into its shell. I leaped out of bed to have a look at it. I took it in my hands and lifted it into the air, but I took fright and let it go again when it suddenly poked all four feet out. The rascal kept its head hidden, though.
Wanting to see its head as well, we put the turtle into a bucket of water. Despite this it didn’t poke any limbs out, or even move. We weren’t sure whether such a turtle could live in the water after all, so after a few minutes we pulled it out again, in case the rascal drowned. After another look, we put it back outside and then went to bed.
BONEGILLA, 16.12.47, Tues. Ever since our first day on Australian shores, newspaper and film reporters have milled around us. They haven’t ignored us here either, each day you can see them walking around with their equipment.
On arriving in my class this morning, I saw standing in the middle of the room lamps, microphones and cameras. As soon as we were seated, the reporter appeared and began his job, so my face will soon be seen around Australia in the latest newspapers.
This evening a group of migrants was gathered near the shower room, for the little bear had appeared again. At first the troublemakers started doing their trick again with bits of wood and water, but then some Latvians arrived and put a stop to this fun.
I fed the little bear some white bread, and he wasn’t frightened at all – he took it right out of my hand. What a charming creature he was, with his bushy tail, red snout and lively eyes. A few times he couldn’t reach the bread with his snout, so, without causing me the least injury, carefully took my finger in his claws, pulled it to his mouth, and took the bread from my hand, then released my finger.
After a while he’d had enough and stopped reaching for the bread, and then I went to bed.
BONEGILLA, 17.12.47, Wed. Today was very unpleasant. Arguments began as early as breakfast. First, due to an oversight no butter came out for Lanky, but he wasn’t too concerned about it, the main troublemaker was another man, who is always complaining about everything.
Some leftover milk was put on the table and several of us had a cupful of it, others didn’t. This quarrelsome man came to breakfast late, so naturally there wasn’t any milk left over. He was so angry about this, that all morning he argued about Lanky missing out on the butter, which in fact was nothing to do with him anyway, then about the milk, then about who knows what.
It was unpleasant for everyone – as if we had drunk his milk deliberately. Most fed up of all was his neighbour at the table, a man past middle age. In the end the quarrelsome man said “what are you waiting for, Lanky, punch the oldie in the face!”
That was too much, and at being called “oldie” the middle-aged man’s patience was at an end. He returned to his barracks, and on receiving more accusations from the quarrelsome man, threw a good punch at him. T hus a fight started, lasting several minutes, unpleasant for everyone. The tension remained and even after lunch there was uneasiness and bad feeling.
Later the immigration minister arrived. A concert and exhibition were organised in his honour, but I didn’t go to either. It has been hot all day; then late in the afternoon the sun hid behind the clouds, and as I went to bed it began to rain.
BONEGILLA, 18.12.47, Thurs. I received an invitation to go to the employment office, so went to register. I advised them I was a seaman with two years in naval school.
The clerk wrote down that I would prefer to work on a ship, but that I was happy to work in any job, with my first preference being at the harbour. He told me that seaman work is hard for an immigrant to find, but who knows, maybe I will be lucky?
BONEGILLA, 20.12.47, Sat. It seems it will be a fruitful summer here in Australia - it’s raining again. Despite the weather, in the evening a busload of Australian girls pulled up for a dance organised in the camp. I’d like to have gone too, but I don’t have anything suitable to wear. The Australian girls are showing quite an interest in us.
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| The first wedding in Bonegilla of two passengers from the Heintzelman took place on 17 December 1947; we say"first wedding in Bonegilla" because we know that there had been at least two marriages before embarkation and another during the Perth stopover Source: this cutting was found unsourced in a private scrapbook |
BONEGILLA, 21.12.47, Sun. It seems that the Australians sense our desire to return to Europe for they organised a big dance for us, perhaps hoping that we will marry and settle down.
Tonight, a large party of the boys was driven to some dance in the town. Who knows, perhaps I too will settle here one day and forget about returning?
BONEGILLA, 25.12.47, Thurs. Christmas is here, the first I’ve ever spent in the southern hemisphere. You can’t find proper fir trees here, but it seems that nature herself wishes to re-create the familiar holiday feeling for us – this morning it’s become very cold. It would be very strange to spend Christmas sweating in the heat and looking for relief in the lake.
BONEGILLA, 26.12.47, Fri. I’ve never yet felt as cold in Australia as I did last night, I even had to get up and pull out my third blanket. This morning the sun shone again, and the cold and rain disappeared far behind the mountains.
At 10am there was supposed to be a basketball match with the Australians, but they didn’t arrive until eleven, and copped it heavily – the result was 51:12 in our favour. The devil only knows what these Australians are good at – we beat them outright at chess, table tennis, and basketball.
They are friendly and courteous, but have a very narrow education. All they know is Australian and English geography and history, nothing else. Also, the sort of clothes they wear aren’t worn in Europe after the age of ten. Australians marvel that we can speak so many languages and know so much.
Although I must say that the music is wonderful here. This evening the camp loudspeaker broadcast a Melbourne report of our concert from the day of the Immigration minister’s visit, and now we heard all sorts of marvels; wolves had been transformed into white sheep. We certainly had no idea that we were so good.
In jumbled disorder rang out the Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian songs, for the first time in the warmth of an Australian evening. Meanwhile a team of Australian beauties arrived for our “variety evening,” but they had to stand outside for a long time and listen to the reportage.
We’d tipped over a small pot; nothing had been prepared for the variety evening. Finally, the school director took the matter into his own hands, and worked something out – the pot was saved. There was a dance after the performance, but I went to bed instead because I haven’t the right clothes.
Christmas is over, tomorrow we return to school again. I’ve had enough of school, for I’m keen to start working to earn some money.
BONEGILLA, 27.12.47, Sun. When you think about it, I should be grateful for this life, it’s just like a rest home here. We don’t have to work, we’re fed, educated, and on top of that paid pocket money; what more could we want?
After this I’ll be working hard, and looking forward to my days off with longing. I’ve had enough of living like this without money, but the holiday has to be enjoyed until I’m thoroughly fed up with it, perhaps I shouldn’t have yearned for it so soon.
BONEGILLA, 28.12.47, Mon. Another boring day. Nicis has arrived, so after dinner I enjoyed his concert. After that I went swimming in the moonlight. The water was pleasantly warm.**
BONEGILLA, 29.12.47, Tues. Today it was the turn of my class for duty and we were given the job of finding firewood. We took two loads to the kitchen, and were then told to go to Albury for the supplies.
We climbed into a truck, and soon were watching the agreeable countryside gliding past. It looks as if Australia really will become my homeland. I’ve longed for my own home and peace. I’ve lost enough and suffered enough; I no longer have a home to call my own and my loved ones are now hidden behind the iron curtain, erected by those barbaric, red hands, so haven’t I earned the right to a normal life?
The best years of my youth have disappeared; in these five years I have experienced and lived through more than some others in their entire lives, but I still haven’t got a trade, all I have is a longing for a particular occupation.
It’s just as well there is a maritime trade I aspire to, I’ve no need to stumble in the dark and have less time to think these bitter, painful thoughts of my lost country and home.
After some time the first of Albury’s houses appeared. This town isn’t anything much, just a largish village with typical Australian one-storeyed houses. At the station we loaded several boxes, then a milk can from the dairy, then drove back again. We returned to camp at twelve thirty, and our job was over.
After dinner the Latvian consul appeared and greeted everyone, then we watched the film “Maytime.” It was enjoyable except that the ending was ruined by the troublemakers with their carrying-on. Oh, how I wish to be free of this rabble!
BONEGILLA, 30.12.47, Tues This time a really sultry day has arrived, there’s no thought of resting in bed at all. I received a coat, trousers, shirt, short sleeved shirt, socks, handkerchiefs and yellow American boots.
The trousers were too long so I toiled all afternoon shortening the hems, until finally they were right. They will be good for work, and sooner or later I’ll buy some dress trousers when I start earning my own money.
BONEGILLA, 31.12.47, Wed. The day has come when the old, hopeless year lived in camps is over and a new one begins, promising a brighter future. I have hopes that the new year will be much better, for I’m now in a free country, little touched by the stupidities of war.
After the five years the war has whittled from my life I can return to my life again, as if the lost years are only an unpleasant nightmare, dreamed in a long sleep.
FOOTNOTES
* The "bear" may well have been a possum, since others reported them around the camp and koalas are less likely to "run". The later description of "his bushy tail, red snout and lively eyes" is more possum-like, too.
** Kārlis Nīcis had migrated to Australia in the 1920s and soon made a career as a singer. He also had become Secretary to the Honorary Consul for Latvia in Australia. A son, Indulis Nīcis, was among this group of Heintzelman passengers.
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