Migrantweb.com Hostels Forum

[David Holt]

Hi
My parents , myself and three sisters arrived from Kent England on the 25th November 1964. We flew by British Eagle Airlines and it took three and a half days to get to Melbourne.
We arrived at the hostel at about 12 noon on a really hot day and were put in a tin hut, no fly screens no fan nothing. Exhausted we all feel asleep.
I remember the look on my parents faces the next day, we promtly lost the 2 sink plus, 2 toilet rolls and anything else they gave us as we like others were not used having to keep tabs on things like this. ( When we left we had collected severel dozen plugs which my mother would give to anyone she heard had lost theirs.
Although the hostel was no what we were used to having come from a nice terraced house which was warm in winter and stayed cool in summer to a sweat box.
My parents put up a brave face and told us we were actually in a holiday camp.My younger sisters nodoubt fell for it but i was 12.
The food was good although the company for meals was no always, my mother kept our box clean and we chose our friends carefully.
I believe that of the 48 that came with us on the plane everyone returned to england within 2 years except us.
We only stayed long enough for my parents to work out what was what and we moved out and they bought a house in Glenroy where we were the only poms.
Each of the four of us kids have done really well for ourselves in Australia and so have our children.
Thanks Australia

[Len]

Hi David, it seems you should have put the sink plus around your necks on a piece of string.

Welcome.

[GinaKate]

I thought I remembered everything as if it was yesterday but I just can't remember ever being given a plug. Or for that matter anyone else having one. I just have flashbacks of constantly stuffing toilet paper in the plug hole. We got toilet paper on Friday with our sheet and towel change; of course it was never enough for the week, although it probably would have been had we not had to use it for blocking the sink.