Migrantweb.com Hostels Forum

pauly2321

Hi my name is Paul. I am currently in the process of completing a biography writing course and yesterday the 5/7/2011, started writing a biography on a person who attended the Pennington Hostel.

Being only 22, I found it fascinating that there were hostels for European Migrants around. This person I am writing on was only 2 years old at the time and can't fill me in on what living in a hostel was like.

I would be very interested in hearing from anyone who lived in a hostel who can tell me what it was like. From what I know and what I have read, living standards were very basic

If anybody can tell me what living in a hostel was like, this would be much appreciated.

Kindest Regards
Paul

stormfour · Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2011 6:08 am Post subject:

Paul,I think your best bet here would be to contact a member by the name of Aussietrekker you will find her on the Altona hostel forum,she has the most incredible memory of the hostel days.
_________________
Carol Myers Altona Hostel Dec 1962 - June 1964

aussietrekker · Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2011 10:12 am Post subject:

Well thank you Stormo, and Paul, you may wish to refer to my memoirs on the Altona Hostel thread...I'll be getting to the hostel in the next instalment.

kate fletcher · Active Member Joined: 02 Jul 2011 Posts: 63

In Holmesglen Hostel in the late fifties and early sixties, we lived in nissen huts that were divided into six rooms. Drinking water had to be fetched from the canteen, and there were toilet and shower blocks in themiddle of the hostel. Simmer heat turned the huts into ovens, and in the winter they were very cold. The wooden partitian walls were thin, and you could hear the peole in the other rooms. My parents used to leave the radio on, to try and make the two rooms we had seem more private. There was a sofa with a plastic cover, that turned into a bed for my parents, but I had a proper single bed in my own room with black metal bars behind the pillow.
There was a kindergarten with a sand pit for pre-school children, and some swings, climbing bars and chutes for the older kids, but most of us preferred the creek, despite the rats and red-back spiders.
The food served in the canteen wasn't very nice, and always seemed to be overboiled vegetables, even in summer, though you could order a salad picnic lunch at the weekends.
School lunch was provided in brown paper bags called crib bags. We were given bread rolls that were often dry by the time you ate them. You chose the fillings the day before, and I particularly remember a date spread that was sickly sweet.
When it rained heavily, the noise insdie the huts was deafening, and if you strayed off the paved paths on your way to the toilets, the red clay was like trying to walk in treacle.
I suppose the conditions were very basic, by modern standards, but we didn't have very high expectations in thise days.

aussietrekker · Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 1:01 am Post subject:

Yeah, delectable dishes for starters!
Though Altona Hostel's Apple Slice and custard was to die for.

kate fletcher · Active Member Joined: 02 Jul 2011 Posts: 63

Holmesglen's speciality was strawberry jam flan sprinkled with cornflakes that went soggy in the custard.

ninette · Active Member Joined: 19 Sep 2017 Posts: 14

We actually thought the food was pretty good at East Hills and we used to get desserts which were made in huge tin trays. My favourite was a pineapple slice. On Sunday nights they cooked potatoes fritters which I loved. My Mum filled out as when we were in England I think she didn't eat much so us kids got fed!
We shared a Quansa hut with a Dutch family and a wall in the middle separated us. I don't remember if the noise carried but we were 3 little giggly girls and the noise was probably us! Sine and Hans next door were wonderfully kind to us.We also had the shared toilets, 1 bath and 1 shower in the middle of the huts.