Migrantweb.com Hostels Forum

muffin · Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2010 12:22 am Post subject: old kelly

does anybody remember old kelly the hobo he used to live in a old shack in the bush ,not far from the hostel,he had a lot of dogs,and one day some louts burned his house down,i felt sorry for the poor man
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trudy

Ann Ainsworth · Active Member Joined: 07 Jan 2009 Posts: 10

Yes, I remember the old shack burning down. I was in the hostels in 1965 -66

Hollander · Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 1:49 am Post subject:

wirralar · New Member Joined: 21 Nov 2009 Posts: 4

I was very interested to read about "old Kelly". I was at EH hostel from 1959 to 1962 (age 5 to 9) and I remember an old lady named Kelly who used to live in a shack not far from our hut. We all said she was Ned Kelly's Mum! (don't know how that could have worked - kids!) We were very frightened of her and kept a wide berth. I remember that there were a lot of "wild" daffodils around her place. There was a bushfire there in about 1961 too. Must have been a common occurence.
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Carol Baxter (nee Dudson)

natalie10 · Posted: Wed Sep 01, 2010 10:32 am Post subject: he Kelly family

Hello. I have just become a new member and would like to tell you all about the Kellys. I knew the Kelly family from 1954 untll we left the hostel in1958. Their daughter who"s name was Betty was my best friend for a while.We went to East Hills High school together.I remember going to visit her house, no electricity , dry toilet. the food was kept cool in a well in the ground,but to us kids it was so homily after the nissan huts...betty married early and moved away and we left the hostel. I don;t remember any more of the parents but they must be the people you all have been referring to.All I can say is to my memory they were nice people.Cheers Lynda

Dave · New Member Joined: 10 Jan 2011 Posts: 1 Location: UK

I was living at East Hills hostel with my family from April 56 to April 58. I remember 'Kelly's humpy', as it was known to us. It was situated in the bush along a track leading from the far end of the hostel. We never saw the people that lived there - but the dogs were always around.

Only just joined the forum.

Dave

jt · Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 2:46 am Post subject:

I remember the Kelly family 61-64 lived in a tin shack just in the bush, at the back of the camp, we used to see old man Kelly walking through the camp at night with a sack on his back (we all way wondered what was in the sack)We used to stand on the rocks just back from there house and sing old mrs kelly with her bamboo belly and her t...s tied up with string shes sitting on the grass with a trumpet up her arse singing good save the queen.. untill one day he set the dogs on us never seen 10 kids come out the bush so fast, one of the dogs bit my mates little sister on the backside just as we got to the edge of the bush..what little shits we must have been...

Norm Faint · Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2012 11:38 pm Post subject: Looking For

Hi Hollander, was Andy a boxer and a Scotsman ? Did George Herd have a sister named Barbara ? Linda and Sylvia...if also Scot did they have a friend named Irene Cross...what ever happened to Barbara and Irene ? Thanks for any replies....Norm
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1954, Cabramatta Hostel from England aboard S.S.Strathaird, followed by Matraville, Marybrinong, Broadmeadows, Williamstown, Heathcote Road and Bunnerong (various moves as dad was later in '54 engaged as a Hostel Manager.

Hollander · Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 1:52 am Post subject:

Hello Norm,

Andy was a tall thin guy, not really a boxer's physique, but who knows. (I used to box with Paul Canfield, at the youth centre across the road in Heathcote Hostel). Andy and his sisters Sylvia and Linda may have been Scottish, but the name Irene Cross doesn't ring a bell.

George Herd did have a little brother called Jimmy, but I don't remember a sister. George was into camping and hunting. Got a tent for his birthday and we went camping along Williams Creek, halfway to where it flows into the Georges River. Got eaten alive by the mosquitos at night. George went around for a while with a girl called Marvil.

Yes, what happened to all those people...

Cheers,
Ed Jonker

Norm Faint · Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 11:54 pm Post subject: Old Friends

Hi Ed, thanks for response....I did get the surname wrong regarding Pat and her sister, twas not Herd, was Hurley....they lived in the bottom row of huts, bush side, left hand side from facing the dining room, right hand side road side when coming from Heathcote side. No not the same Andy, Andy was a bit older, a regular 'good' drinker and built his worth as a boxer, I think his friend was Ray, Ray had the first motor bike followed by a couple of others, one of which was killed on Heathcote Rd. playing 'chicken' with an oncoming motor vehicle, only leather caps or helmets back then.
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1954, Cabramatta Hostel from England aboard S.S.Strathaird, followed by Matraville, Marybrinong, Broadmeadows, Williamstown, Heathcote Road and Bunnerong (various moves as dad was later in '54 engaged as a Hostel Manager.

Norm Faint · Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2012 3:35 am Post subject: Youth Center

Ed, do you remember the Instructor at the Heathcote hostel Youth Center, short nuggety chap from (North Pole ??) could balance on a step ladder whilst climbing it. The name 'Nat' comes to mind for one of the lads (possibly) the brother of the chap killed on the motorbike from EH hostel. Then there were the Sunday night dance (R & R) at your camp, where the Hamondville boys used to stone the tin roof, whilst Pam Kirk form Heathcote camp gave her rendition of the song "true loves a many splender thing".
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1954, Cabramatta Hostel from England aboard S.S.Strathaird, followed by Matraville, Marybrinong, Broadmeadows, Williamstown, Heathcote Road and Bunnerong (various moves as dad was later in '54 engaged as a Hostel Manager.

Bluebird · Active Member Joined: 07 Aug 2012 Posts: 31

I remember the hut burning down.....very sad!! Sad

orlando · New Member Joined: 01 Jan 2013 Posts: 2

I lived at the Naval Estate with my family in the early 60's. I'm not sure if this old guy Kelly you talk of is the one that scared my brother and I. He lived in a caravan (or shack?) down by the Georges River near the footbridge. One day he grabbed us while we were bush walking, raving about placing us under arrest. I escaped and came back with my mother (Dad was at sea on the Hobart) By this time my brother Scott had escaped. Some time later the old man's caravan exploded, (gas bottle), and he was killed. The fire was fairly large. Rob Ferguson

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

I remember the house in the bush as our hut was on that edge of the hostel. There were "monkey bars" near our hut. I remember falling off them once ..flat on my back. We used to collect mushrooms in that field with my Dad. I vaguely remember the name Kelly and the Ned Kelly connection ...of course we were all kids with great imaginations!