Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Center
The Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Center (German: Bonegilla immigration reception and training center ), also known as the Bonegilla Migrant Camp , was used to receive immigrants after the end of the Second World War . The Bonegilla Migrant Camp , operated from 1947 to November 1971, was the largest and longest-running camp for immigrants in Australia .
location
The Bonegilla camp was on the banks of the Murray River , 12 km from Wodonga , over 300 km from Melbourne and about 600 km from Sydney . It extended over an area of 130 hectares and was located in the small village of Bonegilla in northeast Victoria in Australia, between Lake Hume and the city of Wodonga. The camp served as an army base during World War II and is now linked to the Army's Latchford Barracks .
prehistory
Was after the experiences of World War II when Australia attacked by the Japanese, the Australians were aware of their situation, aware of their limited defense capability and small population, and it developed a corresponding consciousness that by the motto or populate the (German: populating or Sinking ) was expressed. Furthermore, the implementation of large-scale projects, such as the Snowy Mountains System , required a larger workforce than could be covered with the existing population. This political controversy also indicated a reversal of the White Australia Policy, which had been practiced for decades, and Australia opened up to immigrants and new cultural influences.
Camp life
The camp opened in 1947 and closed in November 1971. About 1.5 million people passed through it after arriving in Australia, of which about 300,000 did not speak the English language.
The concept of integration into Australian society was simple: these camps were intended to be a training center for those who did not speak English and to introduce them to Australian life. The new arrivals were given a health check and were told to stay in the camp until the government found them a job. Normally the camp was inhabited by 2,000 to a maximum of 5,000 people, but at times it was overcrowded with 7,700 and so 1,000 people had to be housed in tents.
The warehouse was very simply furnished, it consisted of 24 building blocks, each block with a kitchen and a dining room, a storage room and a bathroom and toilet block. In each block, food was prepared for the immigrants, which was eaten together. The food was comparable to a typical military meal, both in terms of the choice of food and the meal times, and no consideration was given to the eating habits of the immigrants. Not only did this lead to dissatisfaction, but some immigrants cooked in secret.
The accommodations were made of wood army buildings with uninsulated and bare corrugated iron walls, the roofs were covered with asbestos cement panels . The blocks were initially divided into rooms for 20 people, children and women lived separately until 1954 and there was no heating. From 1951 onwards, the inside of the corrugated iron was clad, painted and divided into cells measuring 4 × 3 m, which allowed a certain intimacy. There was a so-called Tudor Hall, which was used for community events, and the grounds of the camp were later loosened up with trees and plantings.
Job search
The immigrants hoped that they could find employment in their learned professions. The job offers made to them paid little attention to this; they were always asked if they would accept any job. The isolation of the camp and the distance from other places, as well as the living conditions in the camp, created pressure to accept the work offered.
Publicity
The camp was barely noticed by the public. The first public attention got the death of 13 newly arrived children. An official commission of inquiry then found that they had become infected on the ship, but criticized the incompetent staff and the poorly equipped camp hospital. In 1952 there were protests about the food and the prevailing conditions. When in 1961 Italian and German immigrants vandalized the agency responsible for employment agencies, engaged in violent clashes with the police and the protesters wrote on posters We want to go back to Europe and Bonegilla Camp with no hope , the Australian authorities reacted and felt compelled to review their immigration policy.
today
The only area that reminds of the camp today is a sculpture and block 19, which could accommodate 320 people. This building complex is now a museum and was added to the Australian National Heritage List on December 7, 2007 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b bonegilla.org.au ( Memento of the original from February 19, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. : Block 19 today , in English, accessed October 17, 2011
- ↑ a b environment.gov.au : Bonegilla Migrant Camp - Block 19, Victoria , in English, accessed October 17, 2011
- ↑ a b c migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. : First Impression , accessed October 17, 2011
- ↑ migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au ( Memento of the original from March 22, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. : Finding Jobs , in English, accessed October 17, 2011
- ↑ a b migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au ( Memento of the original from May 2, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. : Becoming Australians , accessed October 17, 2011
Coordinates: 36 ° 7 ′ 51.7 ″ S , 147 ° 0 ′ 48.9 ″ E