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aussietrekker aussietrekker has been starred
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 28, 2009 11:09 pm    Post subject: Hostel staff Reply with quote

Mr. Laurence the Manager. Lived in a timber house (same as the Commission houses of that era) down by the creek with wife and sons.

Mrs. Lewis on Reception. We used to collect the mail from her each day, and she also dealt out clean sheets etc. in the linen room once a week.

A guy called Skip, who used to run the Youth Club every Wednesday night.

Mr.Tibos our neighbour, who ran the library every Thursday night.

Kitchen staff- cooks Anton and Otto, and the Hungarian bloke who swallowed the live frog on a dare when he was drunk.
Behind the counter there was Maggie, the Scottish lady with the red nose, and Nora, who had long blond hair and very prominent eyes. She was very pleasant, and I used to see her later on working in a shop in Pier Street. Another lady I think was named Emma, and a little short lady , perhaps German, with very thick glasses.

Mr. and Mrs. Salamon, who ran the shop. They were Hungarain, and lived in Sunshine. Mrs. S. was a bit of an old dragon.

A little gardener, who looked Italian and always had the most sorrowful face.

Mrs. McManus used to run ballet classes in the recreation hall- which was also used by Father Cassidy from St. Mary's for Mass on Sundays.

And not forgetting all the wonderful volunteers who made up the social committee- organising raffles, outings and other events that stopped us from going mad with boredom. Laughing


Last edited by aussietrekker on Wed Nov 04, 2015 12:03 am; edited 1 time in total
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stormfour stormfour has been starred
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 29, 2009 6:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mrs Salamon was a LOT of an old dragon,I was terrified of her,she always gave you the impression that you were really putting her out to serve you,and she would always serve the adults before any kid,it makes me think of her when I hear that song "What about me" Rotten old sod she was!
I remember the gardener too,my Dad used to call him Sabu ,and apart from Mrs McManus I can't remember any of the others you mentioned,I remember though there was a Tall bleached blonde woman with a big mouth and nosey as well who used to live at the side of the canteen just across the way from the shop,if we were going to the bus stop she always wanted to know where we where going,I think her name was McKay or something like that,she had a daughter who looked like her a lot ??
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stribe
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 16, 2009 11:23 am    Post subject: About Kitchen Staff Reply with quote

My mum was the lady called Maggie on one of thse posts, the one with the big red nose, she would laugh if she knew that was said, it was Margaret Heaney and she worked behind the counter in the canteen for four years, dad used to run the grog for the social club, he used to drink most of it. Us kids used to play netball against the Brooklyn Hostel and others and I loved it. I also enjoyed the trips to Geelong in summer on the bus, also the Ice skating nights, I have fond memories of it. We lived on the hostel from 1960 till 1964 and remember Mr Lawrence and the others quite well, also the Mintos and some of the other family's, there was a friend of mine Annette Playfore, and her friend Angela with red hair, Carolyne Mckeeman, the Griffins, the Myers
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aussietrekker aussietrekker has been starred
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 12:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I can't stop smiling, that you've seen my post about your Ma. Is she still alive? I didn't know she was also an inmate of the hostel- I just remember the name Heaney but no-one specific. To me, she was just a kind lady who used to save me the trains and cereal cards, and it meant such a lot. Us kids had little by way of toys or entertainment, and though it seems such a little gesture, I have always remembered her fondly for it, and been grateful.
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stribe
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 1:46 am    Post subject: My mum with the big red nose Reply with quote

It was funny about the nose I remember it being big but it went away, it only happened while we were on the hospital, she was bitten by something almost as soon as we got off the ship and because she had no immunity to Australian insects her nose (where she was bitten) swelled right up and nothing they gave her would get rid of the swelling, she was on everything, but a few years later is just started going down, and went back to normal after about 5 years, she tried to cover it with make up etc but it still always looked red. She died of emphysimia (dont know how to spell it but you know what I mean) she was quite a heavy smoker as the years went by, she actually did split shifts in the hostel, did breaky, went back to our hut, then lunch, back to the hut then dinner. would you believe after we left the hostel she kept the job, and as we lived in Altona and there was not a very good bus service she walked all the way from Altona to there and staye until the final shift and walked back, what a woman she was so strong. I will tell you another funny story about what happened in the queue one day when we have our next interaction
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Susan Gillet
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 2:14 am    Post subject: Re: Hostel staff Reply with quote

aussietrekker wrote:
Mr. Laurence the Manager. Lived in a timber house (same as the Comission houses of that era) down by the creek with wife and two sons. Mark, aged 6, was killed by the school bus.


I remember that so well. My little sister Janet, the same age as Mark, was the one who told Mr. Laurence that his son had been run over. Boy, did she ever get into trouble off our parents for that. Poor Mr. Laurence, being told like that.
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stormfour stormfour has been starred
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 10:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Sue, Carol Here,I remember your Janet doing that,she got to the Lawrences before any body had a chance to,still kids will be kids.
I cant believe we have all these people on here now,it is great,Judith do you remember me asking you if you remembered Susan Gillet,well here she is..how good is that, Laughing Laughing Laughing Laughing
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aussietrekker aussietrekker has been starred
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 10:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I know, and I'm so happy for you.
Just as I remember a lot of families and names, there are just as many I don't remember. The Gillets were there the same time as us and I probably saw them every day. I don't know how that place fitted everyone in!
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 19, 2009 3:42 am    Post subject: A funny story Reply with quote

On day in the hostel canteen, mum was working behind what we called the race ( the counter)I believe it was a Saturday lunch and our Richard came in for his lunch and decided he didnt want to wait in the long queue, so he pushed in front of this big dutch woman, well she shoved him so hard out the way he hit the floor like a brick, mum saw most of it from where she was working because the dutch woman said a few nasty things before she pushed him, well mum jumped over the counter ran up to her pulled her by the hair to the floor and started punching into her, dress was up her thighs knickers showing etc, I was so embarrassed I was sat having my lunch already, I could have crawled into a hole, it took three men to pull her off the Dutch woman, I have never forgotten it
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 19, 2009 7:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow, that must have been a spectacle!
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Susan Gillet
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 01, 2009 4:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well done Maggie, a lioness protecting her cub, just the way it should be. lol
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jillknighton
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 28, 2015 7:53 am    Post subject: The Lawrence family Reply with quote

Hi I am new to the site and lived on the hostel from 1960 - 1964 when we moved to Werribee. My brother's best mate was Nigel Lawrence who was the oldest of the 3 Lawrence boys. Jeffrey, who was my friend, was killed when he fell off the school bus and went under the rear wheels. I still have a vivid memory of the bus going over him and then seeing Nigel carrying Jeffrey's limp body to his parents. Mark was the youngest boy and didn't go to school at that stage. Jeffrey was in Grade 1. we went to Williamstown Nth primary school and I remember the whole school lined up on the Melbourne Rd while his funeral cortege went past. Such a sad time and memories which have never left me. I believe Mr Lawrence took his own life some time after Jeffrey's death.
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aussietrekker aussietrekker has been starred
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 04, 2015 12:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Do you remember what year it was? It may have happened before we arrived in March 1964. I was told it was Mark who was killed. I only knew of one older brother, a boy about 9-11 with red hair like his Mum. I remember my Mum telling me later on that Mr. Lawrence had killed himself. How sad.
What was your name in the hostel?
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jillknighton
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 04, 2015 2:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi, yes it happened in 1962. I was in Grade 2 and Jeffrey was in Grade 1
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 04, 2015 2:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

BTW I have used my maiden name on this site, so I was Jill Knighton. Lived in the hut straight ahead as you walked dowm from the shop and then one row back and down the end - near to the toilet laundry block
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