my story
Memories of my time at the camp...
My name is Hardy Kielnhofer. My parents and I arrived on the 'Roma' (the sister ship of the Sydney) at
Port Melbourne on the 21st of June, 1961. I was 28 months old at the time. We migrated as part of the Australian Austrian Assisted Passage Scheme which obligated you to stay in Australia for two years. As soon as we arrived, we were told that we were to be sent to Benalla as the Bonnegilla camp was already full. We were then directed straight onto a bus headed for a train station. We travelled by train to Benalla and then transferred to bus and arrived at the camp just before evening tea. We were allocated our own hut (Nissen Hut) internally consisting of a child's cot, two single metal framed beds, army issue blankets, a table and chairs, an army locker and one window where the cot stood. According to my mother, the food was quite ordinary and we often had milk and cornflakes for our evening meal. We all had extreme cases of diarrhea; mine was so bad that Mum had to take me to the hospital outside the camp. After living in the camp for a month or so, there was an ad on the notice board seeking "a nice, well-groomed lady to work as a kitchen hand". Mum applied and was offered the job. It was at Cafe George in the main street of Benalla which was a family business, run by a mother and her daughter-in-law. Soon after, Mum became a waitress there and bought herself an old bike to get to and from the camp.
Five months after arriving, Dad was detailled to a job in Cooma as a cabinet maker. He went ahead on his own, receiving his train fare through the Benalla Camp. There was a trial period of a month and once Dad had secured his position, Mum and myself soon followed. My Mum was advised to ask the attendent at the petrol station on behalf of herself, if any trucks were headed Cooma way. Luckily, there was a truck that took us as far as Canberra. Once in Canberra, Mum rang Dad to suprise him that she was on her way to see him. So, we managed to get a lift the rest of the way on another truck. (You wouldn't think of doing that nowadays!) When we arrived, we stayed with Dad in the room he was renting for two nights. We then moved and rented half a house. Dad played a few games of soccer for a small Cooma club but couldn't find his earlier form. Dad wasn't happy with his job so three months later, he quit and had enough money to buy himself a set of tools. As a carpenter, he started errecting wooden huts that would serve as living quarters for the workers that were employed as part of the Snowy Mountains Scheme. Dad stayed there during the week and only came home on the weekends. His contract lasted for one and a half years and in 1963, we headed back to Benalla. When we arrived, once again Mum and Dad ended up renting half a house that had recently become vacant. We shared the house with a couple we knew from the camp who had arrived a month after we had (July 1961) by plane. They had a son and a daughter who was the same age as me. We all became very close friends and remained friends for many years to come. We left Benalla in late 1964 when Mum and Dad decided to move to N.S.W. where there was plenty of work. We moved to Melbourne in 1966, this is where my story of Benalla ends. I now live in Melbourne where I have lived since 1983. The only time I have been back to Benalla, was twenty years ago when I took the time to visit the camp and take some photos (which are displayed in the gallery). At that time, the Nissen huts had been transported elsewhere, but the main buildings remained intact. I believe that there are only four buildings that remain to this day.
My name is Hardy Kielnhofer. My parents and I arrived on the 'Roma' (the sister ship of the Sydney) at
Port Melbourne on the 21st of June, 1961. I was 28 months old at the time. We migrated as part of the Australian Austrian Assisted Passage Scheme which obligated you to stay in Australia for two years. As soon as we arrived, we were told that we were to be sent to Benalla as the Bonnegilla camp was already full. We were then directed straight onto a bus headed for a train station. We travelled by train to Benalla and then transferred to bus and arrived at the camp just before evening tea. We were allocated our own hut (Nissen Hut) internally consisting of a child's cot, two single metal framed beds, army issue blankets, a table and chairs, an army locker and one window where the cot stood. According to my mother, the food was quite ordinary and we often had milk and cornflakes for our evening meal. We all had extreme cases of diarrhea; mine was so bad that Mum had to take me to the hospital outside the camp. After living in the camp for a month or so, there was an ad on the notice board seeking "a nice, well-groomed lady to work as a kitchen hand". Mum applied and was offered the job. It was at Cafe George in the main street of Benalla which was a family business, run by a mother and her daughter-in-law. Soon after, Mum became a waitress there and bought herself an old bike to get to and from the camp.
Five months after arriving, Dad was detailled to a job in Cooma as a cabinet maker. He went ahead on his own, receiving his train fare through the Benalla Camp. There was a trial period of a month and once Dad had secured his position, Mum and myself soon followed. My Mum was advised to ask the attendent at the petrol station on behalf of herself, if any trucks were headed Cooma way. Luckily, there was a truck that took us as far as Canberra. Once in Canberra, Mum rang Dad to suprise him that she was on her way to see him. So, we managed to get a lift the rest of the way on another truck. (You wouldn't think of doing that nowadays!) When we arrived, we stayed with Dad in the room he was renting for two nights. We then moved and rented half a house. Dad played a few games of soccer for a small Cooma club but couldn't find his earlier form. Dad wasn't happy with his job so three months later, he quit and had enough money to buy himself a set of tools. As a carpenter, he started errecting wooden huts that would serve as living quarters for the workers that were employed as part of the Snowy Mountains Scheme. Dad stayed there during the week and only came home on the weekends. His contract lasted for one and a half years and in 1963, we headed back to Benalla. When we arrived, once again Mum and Dad ended up renting half a house that had recently become vacant. We shared the house with a couple we knew from the camp who had arrived a month after we had (July 1961) by plane. They had a son and a daughter who was the same age as me. We all became very close friends and remained friends for many years to come. We left Benalla in late 1964 when Mum and Dad decided to move to N.S.W. where there was plenty of work. We moved to Melbourne in 1966, this is where my story of Benalla ends. I now live in Melbourne where I have lived since 1983. The only time I have been back to Benalla, was twenty years ago when I took the time to visit the camp and take some photos (which are displayed in the gallery). At that time, the Nissen huts had been transported elsewhere, but the main buildings remained intact. I believe that there are only four buildings that remain to this day.