Migrantweb.com Hostels Forum

[Ruth]

I have just discovered your web site. My family emigrated here in November 1964 as 10 pound poms. We arrived by BOAC aircraft and stayed at the Hostel for about 18 months.
There were 5 kids, myself, a sister and my 2 older brothers went to Matraville School.
We stayed in the Sydney area after leaving the Hostel.
When I received the application papers from NAA it said my parents had applied to go to South Australia, why we didn't go there and ended up in Sydney I don't know.
My name is Ruth and our family name was Hunter

[Robert (Bob) Taylor]

Hi Ruth, I was there at Bunnering in 60/61 also and went to Matraville School and South Sydney Boys High.
Your comments re expecting to go to SA and ending up in Sydney seem quite common when you read through the stories here. We were going to Melbourne, but while on board the Fairsky, officials changed it and we ended up in Sydney.
Nice to see your post and look forward to hearing more about Bunnerong from your experiences.
Cheers, BOB.

[Ruth]

South Sydney is now a co-ed school. My older brother went there for a few months in 1965.
My 2 children went there in the 1990's.
My daughter went to Matraville public school for 1 year in 1991. And as my memory serves me it hadn't changed very much since the 1960's other than the addition of another building.
Only one of the buildings remain from the days when the Hostel was there. It has been used as a gym for a few years and the rest of the area is sporting fields.

[Robert (Bob) Taylor]

On trips back to Sydney A few years ago I visited both Schools and the Hostel site, couldn't see much there. Matraville School didn't look too different. South Sydney High looked similar, I'd did get arsoned in the 60s and one block was rebuilt as I recall.
What had changed was Bunnerong Rd lots of flats and buildings, in what was paddocks in the early 60s.
Do you still live in that area now? We moved to NZ in 61 and have over the years been back many times to Australia for business conferences and holidays. Always love and look forward to the trip across "the ditch".
Cheers,Bob.

[Ruth]

Hi Bob,
We no longer live in Matraville, we use to live in a Town House which was built on the site where the Drive In was, just behind the Chinese Gardens on Bunnerong Road. We moved to Gosford about 15 years ago.
Further along Bunnerong Road towards LaPerouse it hasn't been built up at all.
On the corner of Bunnerong and Wentworth Ave the built a huge Westfield shopping centre. If my memory serves me right there was a Car manufacturing plant there.
Wentworth Avenue down to Mascot hasn't really changed much over the years. And Maroubra Beach hasn't changed much either.
I haven't really told my husband and kids about us living in the Hostels. Because I was only 6 yrs old at the time, I thought it must have been for a bad reason that we ended up there.
I do have some memories of the dining hall, and having to walk over to the other block to the bathrooms.
When we 1st immigrated my father worked at the airport, he had been an Aircraft Engineer in the RN. But sometime before we moved out of the Hostel he took over a Petrol Station in Mascot. I remember one day and I couldn't have been more than 7 years old at the time, I thought my older brother was bullying me and I walked down Wentworth Avenue to Mascot to find my mother, but then realising I might get in trouble I turned around and walked home again. How times have changed we would be horrified to think kids as young as 7 years old would do that walk on their own.

[Robert (Bob) Taylor]

Hi Ruth, the car factory you refer to was The Holden factory,it assembled what was the sedan and station wagon of the time in the 60s....no great range of models like now.
My Father worked there in 1960 when we arrived. He then went to the ICI factory down from Matraville School, until Australia went into recession in 1961. He was a casualty, and we flew to NZ.
What's with Gosford? My older brother went there from inner Sydney about 6 years ago...he loves it there. He still works at his business part time. He drives back and forward to Sydney regularly.
Cheers BOB

[Michael Atherton]

I was resident at Bunnerong from 26 September 1965 for nearly two years.
We were a family of 7 from Cheshire: 2 parents and 5 kids in Block 9. John and Gisela Jones, Michael (my surname later changed to Atherton), Jenny, Anthony, Christopher and Andrew. We were BOAC plane people, not boat people! I taught myself basic guitar, met up with others who did the same and put together a band called The Silver Stars. We did our first gig in the rec hall in 1966. No, we were no Easybeats! We knew the Littles. They moved to Hillsdale. I went to Matraville, then to work at Boral. Also played football for Maroubra United juniors. It would be great to find out where people are now, and it would be a bonus to see some photographs.
Best wishes
Mike
_________________
MJA

[Robert (Bob) Taylor]

Hi Michael, good to hear from you. We trod similar tracks at different times.
I do have some pics... A bit scratchy taken at the Hostel in 1970 on a revisit they are of the inside of block 10 and the outside of the entrance way.I did email to Len the boss of this site. For some reason he didn't post them. If you like I could dig them out and send them to your email address if you like?

[Fionahammell]