Migrantweb.com Hostels Forum

aussietrekker · Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 12:44 am Post subject: Altona/Wiltona Reunion 2010

Well I've got the ball rolling and started a Facebook group-
TEN POUND POMS, ALTONA/WILTONA HOSTEL.
It's still early days but you never know what or who it might bring.

stormfour · Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 10:44 am Post subject:

Sensational.I never thought of that,I am on facebook too so I will check it out and see whets happeniig,I am getting quite exited about this now.

Pamie · Active Member Joined: 18 Jun 2008 Posts: 15

Dear StormFour and AussieTrecker

Sorry to come in on your posts out of the blue like this. I was just wondering what you two (or your families) might have thought of the nearby Maribyrnong hostel when living at the Altona hostel in the '60s. Did you ever visit friends out at Maribyrnong?

regards
Pamie

ps. StormFour - I was also wondering whether you know who made up the ditty you remembered being sung on the bus. Was it something that adults sang as well or just kids?
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Maribyrnong/ Midway hostel research

aussietrekker · Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 4:00 am Post subject:

No worries Pamie, it's open slather here.
You may wish to come to our reunion as well.
Stormfour may know more about Maribyrnong, all I remember is seeing football fixtures on the canteen notice boards when the hostels played each other. and reading names such as Maribyrnong, Fisherman's bend, Holmesglen etc.

That ditty as I recall was mostly sung by the adults in the canteen of a Friday night, and the kids joined in. No doubt it was passed down and mutated over the years.

There was another one, sung to the tune of My Darling Clementine.

In the hostel, in the hostel,
It's a life of mis-er-y
There's a notice on the outside saying Welcome underneath.
Don't believe it, don't believe it
It's a pack of dirty lies
If it wasn't for old (insert name of current manager)
We would be in Paradise.
Build a bonfire, build a bonfire
Put the hostel on the top
Put the manager in the middle
And we'll burn the bloody lot!

stormfour · Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 10:43 am Post subject:

Thats a good one
Hi Pamie,Yeah it was the adults that sang the song mostly,I remember going to Marybinong in fact all the hostels playing netball there was an inter hostel comp,and we had a girl on our team called Pat Sanderson and she was really tall so we won a lot.

Pamie · Active Member Joined: 18 Jun 2008 Posts: 15

Hi StormFour and AussieTrekker

Thanks so much for the recollections and thanks also for the additional ditty, that's just terrible but funny! Would you two mind if I cited these lyrics in a piece of writing I'm working on about the hostels?

I have another question for you too - was it just British migrants in the hostel when you two were there? Were there any non-British inside Altona at the time that you knew of?

Thanks and regards
Pamie
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Maribyrnong/ Midway hostel research

stormfour · Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 7:03 am Post subject:

Go for it Pamie
As I recall there was just British migrants on Altona at the time we were there.
Would love to see the writings that you are doing!!

aussietrekker · Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 11:46 pm Post subject:

Mostly British, but there were also several Dutch families and two from Malta. There was also the odd single bloke from Austria or Germany...they worked in the kitchen. One family had a father from the Philippines but that was very rare.

Pamie · Active Member Joined: 18 Jun 2008 Posts: 15

Thanks heaps Stormfour and Aussietrekker

It would be great to let you read the writing when it's done, have been working on a piece about the 1960s. The lyrics to the dittys paint a pretty unhappy picture with the place, were there ever any organised protests when you two were at the hostel?

Pamie
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Maribyrnong/ Midway hostel research

aussietrekker · Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 1:24 am Post subject:

Not during my time, but Stormfour was there during the Tariff Strike.

It's true that conditions were austere and undignified- the hostel in 1964 makes today's Villawood look like the Radissson, and for that reason I tend to sift my sympathies when I read complaints from today's generation of migrants, many of whom have no concept of their place at the bottom of the pecking order that is the lot of newcomers anywhere in the world and in any era. The same was true in my own era- the phenomenon of "the whingeing Pom" is testament that the streets were not paved with gold as expected, and that the established population were not willing to rejoice that the families from the Motherland had condescended to come and live amongst them in the Colonies. It was sink or swim for us all, and always will be. There were many migrants who got a nasty shock in the ensuing months after their arrival- whose egos as First Citizens of the Empire took a bashing when Australians didn't react as they'd anticipated, and indeed sometimes resented the intrusion and the condescending attitude. These folk inevitably returned to their country of origin in a very short time without giving Australia a chance, and regaling their families and friends with horror stories that were often unfounded. For a lot of families, the hostel wasn't much worse than post-war conditions and accommodation they'd left behind. The tenements of the Gorbals in Glasgow springs to mind. Concerning complaints about the food, I recall my Dad remarking that anyone would thing they'd been used to supping at Buckingham Palace.

But accommodation at the hostel was only intended to be temporary. As an adult with a vivid memory, I can look back in hindsight and give the opinion that the deal wasn't that bad. No-one forced anyone to go there, or to stay there. It was a place of great camaraderie, where we could all feel safe together - a crutch for our assimilation to the world outside but not to be semi-permanent. The canteen songs we inherited were sung by all in the spirit of fun and belonging. They were a good vehicle for any whingers to get things out of their system, and gave the rest of us no more than a good laugh.

stormfour · Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 11:12 pm Post subject:

Couldnt have said it better myself,as kids we had a ball,not taking into consideration the hardships that may have befallen our parents,we saw life as a great adventure and the hostel provided us with that as we were all in it together.Our parents however had a reason for uprooting the family and coming so far away from every thing they knew,what those reasons were,are, different for each and every family,but mostly it was post war hardships in Britain at the time and a lot of rationing was still in force even if we as kids did not realize it .I applaud all parents for making what was probably the most important and definitely the hardest decision of their adult life,whether it was the right one or not is immaterial.But one thing is for sure,I would not have missed it for the world,so my parents need never think that they made the wrong move.A lot of migrants will rightfully tell you to that once the move is made the unsettlement sets in because then you are caught between the good and bad of both countries.On occasions I reflect on which way my life had gone had we never left England,but it doesn't do any good to dwell on it,I have a great family and a reasonably good life so Cest La Vei as Sonny & Cher once said

Phyl · Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 12:36 am Post subject:

The posts above are well written and I commend you.
It is fun to read those ditty's though as a manager's wife I should have been on the bon fire long ago. laugh

And as I said before we sang the first one in the Air Force.
but anyway congratulations for two posts .
Have you read in the Heathcote Rd Hostel 'my introduction to Australia' ?Or the newspaper Clipping in the East Hills Hostel about the new accommadation.Australia did the best they could with great migration influxes ,as I have said before they were a young country and built new accommadation later to make things better and also more staff like Welfare Officers ,Housing officer etc. to help the people.In NZ and I suppose Australia we had rationing too. And my parents sent food parcels to family in Britain.
As I have said before I have had happy,worrying,fearful and scary times in the 18 and a half years I spent in hostels, often eat the food and lived in nissen houses,my kids loved to eat in the dining room with their friends ,they played sport for the hostel and I have to say I helped in the sports myself by scoring the Cabramatta/Dundas cricket team and washing many soccer shirts Such fun and was lucky enough at East Hills to present the medals for sport to kids. Loved the staff in all hostels we went too, though when my children were babies, they took most of my time. Smile

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Kind regards,
Phyl

Pamie · Active Member Joined: 18 Jun 2008 Posts: 15

Dear Stormfour, Aussietrekker and Phyl

Thankyou for your posts. I really appreciate the sincere responses to my question. Phyl - I particularly appreciate your post because a key interest of mine has been the stories and remembrances of those 'on the other side' who were managing and working at the hostel. Thankyou.

I hope to 'speak'/ communicate with all of you again soon on the forum.

Warm Regards
Pamie
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Maribyrnong/ Midway hostel research

stormfour · Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 9:24 am Post subject:

Getting back to the reunion..it is going to be great,I have heard from a few people I never thought I would here from again and I am so looking forward to this,we must get the word out to more people if we can..come on Judith get Trekkin!!!!

aussietrekker · Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2009 1:03 am Post subject:

I'm workin' on it- spoke to our Colette the other day and she said she'd visit Mrs. McManus and tell her what's happening. My sister -in- law in Portarlington keeps in touch with the other McManus family- the "baby" Max was her late husband's best mate, and she's happy to pass the word around.
This reunion is going to ROCK!